


And The Tide Rises

by zzegnas



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, seaside!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 06:58:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 63,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1103831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zzegnas/pseuds/zzegnas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lowly beach comber Liam finds the living, breathing body of a young man washed ashore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And The Tide Rises

**Author's Note:**

> This baby was nine months in the making and it's finally done! Yay! I've had this plot written down for several years and I'm glad I got the opportunity to do it after so long, I just never knew it'd be at this length (or for the 1D fandom!).
> 
>  **Sidenotes** : The entire thing is Americanized; Niall/Zayn make enough appearances to warrant being tagged; and there is also some low key Niall/Louis for my nouis folks.
> 
> Right, dedications! This one goes out to the marrieds, Lola, Agnes, and everyone who said they wanted to read it! I hope all of you manage to finish it 'til the end, but even if you don't—I really don't blame you, it's rather monstrous.
> 
> Title from [_The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls_](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173917); have a [mix](http://8tracks.com/jenkojammy/and-the-tide-falls) as well.
> 
> (I take full responsibility for any remaining mistakes and inaccurate depictions of seaside life)

A beastly storm in the month of April is what will ruin Louis in the midst of his escape.

Droplets of rain hit the cold steel of his car, its piercing sting making its way through the open window and onto Louis’s face.  He’d be better off closing the window, but the last thing he needs to hear is silence.  He’d rather hear the rush of the engine and the loud whips of water pass by than to hear anything a part of him.  Louis steps on the gas a little harder, accelerating the speed, driving to wherever this car will take him.  At this point he’ll go to the ends of the earth if he has to.

The leather sewn into the steering wheel squeaks under his touch, and he holds onto it tighter and tighter with every mile he drives into the night.  The raindrops start to sound heavier on the roof of the car and he accidentally swerves when a fat drop lands on his arm.  He finally closes the window and the rain falls even harder, like bullets pounding into the steel chassis.  Louis leans over to turn on the defroster, ridding the car of its internal fog and frost, but even then he still can’t see through the pouring rain.

“Let up!  Please just let up, I can’t do this,” he groans.  Louis shuts his eyes, his heart racing in time with the engine.

This is the farthest he’s ever driven from home, a place he’s always belonged, but now he can’t go back.  Can’t go back to the way things used to be, where he’d come home from a long day and sit beside his ailing aunt, reading chapter after chapter of her favorite books.

Ever since her husband passed away she struggled to cope with the loss, struggled to get better, but even with her nephew’s help she became worse for wear, her erratic behavior turning her into a neurotic gambler.  It was only a matter of time until she finally told Louis of her grave mistake, the one that would force him to leave everything and start again.

_“Why didn’t you just come to me for money, why did you have to ask that scumbag for help!?”  Louis asked in a rage, furious that his aunt would do something so treacherous in his eyes._

_“I didn’t want you to be ashamed of me!” his aunt cried, struggling to breathe into her oxygen mask.  “It’s your money to keep, what’s eighty thousand dollars to a casino but a bad mark in your good name?”_

_“You sold me off for money!  How could you do this to me, your own nephew!” Louis screamed trying not to put his fist through a wall.  “Do you realize the damage this could do to the company if I married into that family!?  The money we would lose that Uncle Sebastian worked so hard for us to keep?”_

_“I thought I was doing you a favor, Louis!  I just needed to pay off my debts, I didn’t think mentioning your inheritance was going to be anything significant to the Winstons until I realized it was too late to take it back.”_

_“Do you seriously expect me to believe that?” he growled at her.  “Of all things for you to do, you just expect me to just marry Ben Winston’s cousin so he can get the money I can’t touch until I’m twenty-five?”_

_His aunt starts sobbing again, and tearfully tells Louis, “That’s not all your uncle put in his will.  If you marry before that age you’ll get the money, all $400 million.  I never mentioned it to you because you’ve always been so lonely, I didn’t want a marriage clause to hinder anything.”_

_“Just because I’m alone doesn’t mean I’m desperate to marry the first person that comes my way!  How could you not stop to think how this would affect me?”_

_“I don’t know what else to think but for you to run,” she pleaded with her glassy eyes.  “Take what you need and run away as far as you can, Louis.  Don’t let anyone see you and don’t let anyone know where you are.”_

Louis lets out a painful sigh and opens his eyes, finding an orange light blinking next to the odometer.  The car runs over a bump, bouncing high enough for Louis’s head to hit the roof and swerve along the dark, desolate road.  Louis can’t get a hold of the steering wheel to keep it steady, and time is suddenly a lot slower when he hears the loud blast of steel and the shower of glass flying in every direction.

Darkness is all Louis can remember when he opens his eyes, his neck throbbing and his mind dazed when he sits up.  He looks around and feels a rush of wind against his neck, finding the back window smashed open.  Louis frees his arms from the deployed airbag and uses his shoulder to dislodge the door, falling to the ground when it swings wide open.

He crawls out using his hands, the touch of the cold and strange mush between his fingers confusing him when he finally gets to his feet.  In his disoriented state, Louis isn’t sure if he’s hearing things, but he’s sure of the crashing waves nearby.  Louis wobbles away from the car, his feet dragging along the ground as he tries to claw his way through the night.  The moon offers none of its light, the dark clouds that softly glowing as it shields the rest of the sky.   His eyes can’t distinguish between the rain caught in his eyelashes and the blur that’s starting take over.

Louis looks around frantically, stopping when he spots a yellow light shining in the distance.  Louis shivers from the cold wind, startled when he hears the loud crash from the ocean, and his feet sink deeper and deeper into the wet sand.

It feels like an eternity towards the yellow light the longer he keeps walking; the closer he gets, the farther it moves away.  Louis is at the end of his rope when his legs give out, unable to run when a strong ocean wave throws his body against the rocks like a rag doll, leaving him clinging to the last thread of hope he has to stay awake.

“ _Please_ ,” blinking slowly at the yellow light, “ _someone… please…_ ” and takes one last breath.

—

A single egg sizzles into a hot pan, followed by two more that follow.  Liam happily nudges at the fried eggs with his spatula, watching the edges crisp up before he slides it underneath and flips the eggs with ease for a few seconds.  He grabs the large plate full of hash browns and sausage links nearby, then picks up the pan, carefully sliding the eggs right over the hot potatoes and sprinkles just a dash of freshly cracked black pepper over the top.

“Perfect!” Liam smiles, opening the kitchen window.  “Dad!  Breakfast!” he shouts as he sets the plate on the small dining table.  Liam takes his seat, only to stand right back up when he realizes he forgot his father’s coffee.  He heads towards one of the cupboards and pulls out a mug painted with ducklings on it—a present Liam bought for his father when he was a child—and pours the hot black coffee just near the brim and drops four spoonfuls of sugar into it, giving himself a little taste test before he walks back to the table.

Just before Geoff comes home from work, Liam takes it upon himself to cook breakfast for his father every morning.  Geoff’s job as a fisherman with the graveyard shift meant late hours, but it helped getting the biggest catches by sunrise, not  to mention the fancy restaurateurs willing to pay top dollar for the freshest fish the sea can offer.

Liam picked up his knack for cooking by watching his mother in the kitchen, but since her passing several years ago, it was only natural that he took her role and helped around the house for his father’s sake.  But with a possible job offer looming over Liam’s head, Geoff assured his worried son plenty of times he can take care of himself, no matter how much he frets.

The sliding screen door opens and Geoff shakes off the excess sand from his feet, wiping his heels on the welcome mat before he settles into his seat.  “Boy, that porch light really needs replacing,” he sighs as Liam hands him his coffee, “sticks out like a sore thumb with the rest of the houses with it being yellow and all.  But at least we’ll be easy to find if someone gets lost,” Geoff laughs, taking a sip from his mug.  “Ooh, strong flavor, this one.”

Liam worriedly looks out of the open door, tapping his fingers over its frame.  “Think it’ll be raining for the rest of the day?  I don’t want to go out there soaking wet again.”

“Should be clear skies, I heard the weather report not too long ago,” he says, digging into his breakfast.  “You’re off to go combing, then?”

Liam nods, leaving the room.  “I hope I’ll find something worth saving!” he shouts from the living room.  “You never know what the ocean will spit out after a storm.”

“A goldmine for you,” his father snorts.  “Oh, I’ll be out for most of the day, so don’t forget your keys!” he says over his shoulder.  “Don’t want you getting locked out for five hours like last time.”

“I’ve got them right here, Dad,” Liam jingles his keys when he comes back into the kitchen, setting his brown leather satchel on the floor and puts on his cable knit sweater and shoes.  “Besides, you know I left a spare under the porch, I’ll be fine.”

“Think you’ll get your letter today?  I know you’ve been waiting for it.”

Liam becomes visibly uncomfortable, knowing his father wouldn’t ask that question unless he was sure.  “I don’t want to think about it, it’s too much stress over a piece of paper.”

“You have worked your ass off for months just trying to get your foot in the door, Liam.  All those unpaid internships—you can’t just brush that off.”

“I know, Dad, but something will turn up eventually.  We just have to wait it out.”  Liam sighs a little, masking the fact that his insides are squeezing itself from the anxiety of the conversation alone.  “I just want to go combing and get it off my mind for a while, that’s all.”

“I don’t mean to make you feel bad, I’m sorry,” Geoff smiles weakly, and Liam rubs his shoulder in forgiveness.  “Be careful out there, the crabs might get you,” he says jokingly and continues eating his breakfast.

Liam picks up his bag and rushes out of the house in excitement, carefully closing the glass door and giving his father a wave.  He checks his bag for his phone and sketchbook, and pulls out one of several pouches, emptying the remaining sand when he jumps down the short flight of stairs, landing on the balls of his feet.

He inhales the salty air, taking in the sight of the ocean calmly lapping into the land.  Within his first few steps, Liam already spots a few sea glass, colored cobalt blue and light pink.  He opens the empty pouch in his hand, shaking the glass around when he drops them inside.

“First find of the day!” he laughs to himself, tightening the thick cord to close the small bag.

Liam walks slowly, looking for anything that catches his eye that he can keep for himself.  He finds a few more of the sea glass, some in a foggy white and others in a light blue.  It’ll add to his collection that he’s been building since childhood, wanting to find every color possible.  He only ever seems to find green glass, but he’s hoping he’ll find pink and yellow ones today.

Beach combing comes naturally for Liam, considering his quaint home by the sea, and it was all he looked forward to in the mornings once his father came home from work.  Searching the beach for little trinkets that washed ashore—from seashells to fishing floats and even small jewelry boxes—were all that mattered in the two, sometimes three hours he spent just roaming around.

Liam walks a little too close to the water and runs away when its foam rushes near his feet.  He climbs onto a pile small rocks for protection, spotting several seashells in between.  He lets out a giggle when he picks up a few periwinkle shells, checking inside to make sure no one was still living in it.

He was just five years old the first time he’d found a periwinkle, and left the shell on his desk before he went to sleep.  What he didn’t know at the time was that a small crab emerged in the middle of the night, managing to crawl its way out of his room, and into the kitchen where the sound of his mother’s shrill screams filled the house when she accidentally stepped on it.

The foamy water rushes back and Liam quickly jumps off the rocks, picking up a few more shells to put in his pouch.  He’s barely at the halfway point of the beach when he stops for a break against a large beach rock, and digs through his bag to draw a few quick sketches of his periwinkle shells.

He drops his pencil when he puts his sketchbook away and bends down to pick it up, freezing when he notices a pair of black rubber shoes behind the beach rock.  He looks around in suspicion, then looks over, his eyes widening when he finds the body of a young man lying face down against the rocks.

“Oh my god, please don’t be dead,” Liam whispers, running up to the body.  He kneels beside the young man and carefully turns his body on his back, looking away in disgust when he notices the gash along the young man’s cheek, and puts two fingers under his neck, breathing a sigh of relief when he feels a pulse.

Liam quickly digs through his bag, pulling out his phone to call the dispatch unit of the sheriff’s department.  It’s a direct line to his friend’s work phone, and he’s hoping he’ll pick up sooner rather than later.

“Matteo County Dispatch, this is Niall speaking.”

“Niall, it’s Liam!”

“Hey, what’s up, man!  Forgot your keys again?” Niall cackles loudly into the phone, annoying Liam.

“This isn’t a joke!  I just found someone on the beach and he’s unconscious.  I think he might have a concussion and I don’t want to leave him here, you’ve got to send somebody.”

“Dude, seriously?  Is it someone we know?”

“Definitely not, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”

“All right, I just called up a medical unit, they’ll be there in five minutes.”

The young man stirs, letting out a soft groan when he tries to lift his head.  Liam watches him flutter his eyes open, entranced by the flickers of ice blue that flashed until the boy’s body went limp again.  Liam tries to prop his head up against the rocks, desperate to keep him conscious to no avail.

Liam carefully cleans off as much sand from the boy’s clothes as he can, and notices the large silver ring on his right ring finger.  He takes a closer look at it, making note of what looks to be an engraving of a family crest, shrugging at its design.  He gently wipes the sand from the boy’s face and Liam can’t help but admire his profile, his delicate skin roughed up by the unforgiving harshness of the sea.

“Who _are_ you?”

—

Lights flicker into Louis’s eyes when he opens them, his vision still blurry when he looks at his surroundings, waiting until everything is as clear as day.  In a panic, he immediately sits up, and the heart monitor next to him beeps rapidly in time with his racing heartbeat.

Louis tries to understand why he’s wearing a hospital gown and hooked up to an intravenous bag, not to mention the bandage on his cheek that’s covering a quarter of his face.  The heart monitor races even faster and a nurse runs into the room, gently coaxing him to lie back down and take several deep breaths until his heartbeat went back to a normal pace.

The nurse leaves and a man walks in—a man of authority with a commanding presence, and a determined look on his face.  Louis’s body stiffens a little when he approaches the bed, but his soothing voice tells a different story.  “My name’s Sheriff Malik, I need to ask you a few questions.”  Louis worriedly stares at him, and for every question the sheriff asks, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything except to nod or shake his head.

“The nurses couldn’t find any identification on you, and I’m going to need a name for the record,” he says, writing on his small notepad.

Louis sheepishly looks away from the sheriff, unwilling to say anything.  Sheriff Malik gives him a confused look, waiting for him to answer until he glances at the name on Louis’s wristband: _Doe, John_.  He exhales softly, tucking the notebook away into his jacket.

“My son’s friend found you earlier,” he pauses, looking over his shoulder at the door, “he’d like to check on you, but only with your approval.”

Louis hesitates before he nods, watching the sheriff leave, then raises his hand to look at his wristband.  “ _John Doe_ ,” he whispers, his throat straining from the effort alone.  He tries to speak again, but the pain worsens as it sears through his throat.

Louis props himself up with his hands, letting out a whimper when he feels a sharp pain through the left side of his body.  A large bandage is under his gown when he lays his hand over his hip, lightly rubbing over the area soothe the pain.

There’s a knock at the door a few moments later, and a young man pokes his head in, his eyes wide with curiosity when he enters the room.  Louis sits up, taking in the sight of his visitor: the waves in his hair, his broad chest in the knit sweater that hugged the rest of his body, and the beat up leather bag hanging over his shoulder where his hands cling to its strap out of apprehension.  Louis is incredulous at the appearance of his rescuer, looking as if he stepped right out of the L.L.Bean catalogs his uncle used to receive in the mail.

What makes things is worse is that Louis doesn’t know where to look when his visitor smiles at him, settling on the tv mounted to the wall instead.  He blinks when his heart monitor beeps a little louder than usual, and backs away when the visitor walks closer to his bed.

“Please don’t be scared, I-I’m not going to hurt you,” he stammers.  “My name’s Liam.  I found you on the beach earlier and I couldn’t leave you there, not with that cut on your face.”

Louis briefly touches his bandaged cheek, then hesitantly holds out his hand for Liam to shake.  Liam has a firm grip, the rough texture of his fingertips leaving a sharp sensation in Louis’s palm when they let go.

“Sheriff Malik needs your name, but he said you won’t speak,” Liam softly says, biting the inside of his cheek.  Louis wants to, but he forces himself to stay silent; it’s the only way he can stay under the radar.  Silence is the only way he thinks he can start over.

Liam looks around the room and shivers a little, and twists his wrist around the strap of his bag.  “Are you a merman?” Liam blurts out.  Louis snorts and gives Liam a surprised look, shaking his head in confusion.

“Sorry, it’s just you kind of showed up like Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid’.  No voice and all,” Liam blushes and shuffles his feet a little, and Louis can’t help but find him strange, but endearing.  “Um, maybe if you wrote your name down, would that be better?” he asks, pulling out his pencil and sketchbook from his bag.

Liam flips through the book, cleaning off the sandy pencil in the binding when he reaches a blank page.  He holds it out at arm’s length and Louis nervously takes it from him, his hands shaking when he balances the book on his lap.  Louis quickly scrawls out his name and nearly drops the sketchbook when he hands it back.

“Oh, hello, _Louis with a silent ‘S’_ ,” Liam slowly reads aloud, smiling sweetly.  “Maybe we can be friends.”

—

The automatic hospital doors swoosh open for Liam, pushing up his sleeves when he walks up to a pensive Sheriff Malik.  He turns around when he hears Liam’s footsteps, digging his hands into the pockets of his jacket to give him something to do.

“Did you get anything?”

“His name is Louis, I asked him to write it down for me,” Liam slightly shrugs.  “He seems kinda freaked out, but I think he’ll be okay.”

“You did a good thing, calling Niall for help.  He looked a bit tired, so I’ll give it a few hours before I come back to question him again.”

“But what if he doesn’t talk?  You can’t be sure he’ll say anything.”

“Liam, when someone mysteriously washes up on the beach with no explanation of how he got there, I can’t just let him get away clean.  For all we know this hospital could be harboring a fugitive.”

“But Sheriff–” Liam stops himself from raising his voice, and tightly wraps his hands around the leather strap of his bag, a tick he picked up back in school whenever he was nervous.  “The person I saw in there, that is not the face of a criminal.”

“Hey, I didn’t say that,” Sheriff Malik puts a hand on Liam’s shoulder, lowering his head to look in his eyes.  “I just need to know how he got here and he’ll be free to go.”

Liam quietly sighs and nods his head, looking back at the automatic doors when he walks beside the sheriff.  There was something about Louis that was different than anybody else Liam had met before.  It wasn’t the fact that he couldn’t speak, or the look of fear in his face—no.  It was inexplicable to Liam at the moment, but he wanted to see Louis again, to look in his eyes and know what it is he’s doing in this abysmal town.

“Hey, Sheriff, can I get a ride to the station?”

“Forgot your keys again?” he laughs, unlocking the black and white SUV parked under a tree.

“I had a spare made!” Liam whines, climbing into the passenger seat.  “I just want to say hi to Niall and Zayn before I head back home.”

“Oh, you mean The Terrible Two?” he snorts.  “They’re impossible when I’m not around!  My son’s sense of boundaries is astounding to me, Liam.  I tell him to be decent and he goes off canoodling with Niall in my office.  Absolute monsters,” Sheriff says fondly.

“Niall and Zayn are in love, they have been for the last two years,” Liam playfully rolls his eyes.  “But I don’t blame you for being annoyed, though.  I’ve grown immune to their salacious ways.”

“Two years and it still comes as a shock to me, I don’t know how you do it,” Sheriff says with a hearty laugh, and starts the car, backing out of its parking spot and into the busy streets of Matteo County.

—

The ride to the station is a quick one, and Liam’s jumping out of the car when Sheriff Malik as soon as drops him off in the parking lot.  The sheriff’s department houses only two floors and a large basement where old files and evidence were kept hidden from the public.  A frequent visitor, Liam knows the entire building inside and out—thanks to being friends with Sheriff Malik and his family since he was a child—but never stays longer than an hour if he’s hanging out with his best friends.

There’s a bounce in Liam’s step when he walks through the doors and past several deputies towards reception, a tiny office shielded by bulletproof glass.  The receptionist waves at Liam when he greets her, then walks a few doors down to the dispatch office full of computers, headsets, and a map of the county projected onto a large screen.

Liam calls for his friends, and finds the room surprisingly empty.  It’s an unusual sight to see it deserted, considering that’s where he would normally find Niall and Zayn, and becomes distracted by two voices speaking in hushed tones in the break room next door.

“ _Can I come over tonight?_ ” the first voice asks, letting out a muffled laugh.

“ _I don’t know why you ask when you’re always there anyway_ ,” the second voice says blankly.

Liam peeks through the door, spotting two people sitting on a chair, and immediately recognizes the back of Niall’s blond head.  A pair of hands run under Niall’s shirt, and Liam knows they could only belong to Zayn with that immaculate hair of his peeking over Niall’s shoulder.

Zayn had been a lot more timid before Niall moved to Matteo County two years ago.  Niall had let Liam know he thought Zayn was a little strange—giving him half-eaten bars of chocolate as presents and misusing the PA system to ask him questions—before they finally got together at a coworker’s wedding, where Zayn surprised everyone by officiating the ceremony as an ordained minister (“I had too much to drink and $20 in my pocket, I don’t regret it,” he told Liam.).  Zayn had slowly come out of his shell since then, but now it was just a matter of them being decent in public, given their insatiable lust that annoys Zayn’s father on a daily basis.

Niall’s hips move a little faster and the chair lets out a loud squeak that startles Liam.  He puts a hand to his chest, taking a breath to regain his composure and settle his pounding heartbeat.

“ _I just want to make sure we’ll be alone.  Dad wasn’t too happy when he caught us in the garage the other night._ ”

“ _That was your fault, you dweeb,_ ” Niall’s breath stutters, and Liam snickers when he hears them moan.

Niall slumps forward, his face buried in Zayn’s neck as he moves faster against Zayn.  Liam shakes his head and opens the door, inconspicuously taking a seat next to the enthusiastic couple.  Niall and Zayn’s moans become a little louder, prompting Liam to pull out his phone and check his emails when their chair starts to squeak in time with their thrusts.

It surprises Liam they’d be dry humping at work, but it doesn’t come as a shock—except for the time they almost had sex in his kitchen while his father was in the living room watching television.

“Having fun?” Liam says out loud, scaring the two boys out of their seat.

“Jesus, Liam!” Niall shouts, “You can’t just come in here and do that!”

“Shameless _and in the break room, no less?_  It’s barely ten o’clock!  I can’t tell if this is a new low or a new record.”

“Oh, shut up,” Zayn curtly says, bringing Niall to his feet.  “There’s hardly anyone here, might as well go for it.”

“Well your dad’s out back, imagine what he might have said if he walked in with me.”

“Liam, _please_ ,” Zayn rolls his eyes.  “What are you doing here so early, did you forget your keys again?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that!  I had a spare made like four months ago!” he says in defense, crossing his arms when he stands up.

Niall and Zayn laugh at Liam when he starts pouting, and the trio walk out of the break room and back to the dispatch office.  Niall takes his seat and Zayn sits beside him, fiddling with the headset nearby.

“Zayn, is it cool if I use the internet?” Liam asks, heading for the computer desk behind them.

“What for?  Don’t you have it on your phone?”

“Yeah, but the connection here is faster,” Liam replies, opening a browser.  “Besides, it’s quick research.”

Niall rolls his seat backwards towards Liam, and digs through his bag for the pouches inside.  “You could have done that at home, you know,” he points out, and Liam glares at him.  “Sea glass again,” Niall mumbles when he opens a small bag.  “Oh, what happened with the guy you found earlier, is he all right?”

“He’s fine!  His name’s Louis, he wrote it in my sketchbook ‘cause he can’t speak,” Liam quickly types out his search query, his eyes skimming the screen as he scrolls down the page for information.  He takes in as much as he can, until Niall leans over his arms while he’s reading, and cackles when he tells Zayn what’s onscreen.

“Mermaid mythology!?” Zayn squawks.  “I didn’t realize boatbuilders were as superstitious as pirates,” he snorts, but Liam shrugs him off, continuing his investigation.

“I asked Louis if he was a merman and he looked at me like I grew five heads,” Liam says unfazed, “but the way he showed up, he’s different—I know he is.”

“Of course he’s different, have you seen the size of this county?” Zayn scoffs, “You’re in and out of this place in fifteen minutes.  Ten, if you drive fast enough.”

“Look, make fun of me all you want,” Liam says blankly, clearing the browser’s history and shutting off the monitor.  “But when I told him we could be friends… he just looked so sad,” he looks at Niall and Zayn, worried they would laugh at him, but remain stoic instead.  “I mean, what do you do when someone looks at you like that?”

“That might be something you figure out for yourself,” Niall smiles.  “But for now, let him rest.”

—

According to Liam, there isn’t much to Matteo County, a picturesque seaside town on the central coast of California.  Liam’s lived here his entire life and he longs for the day he can finally move away from its confines.  The place is small, but thankfully it’s not the type where everybody knows each other; Liam would most likely have an angina if everyone knew what he was up to in boatbuilding school.

(Liam didn’t think it was scandalous, although his wild streak where sex was concerned might raise a few eyebrows.  Girls from the nearby university dragged him into their dorm rooms for late night romps, and when the girls weren’t enough, he’d suck off his fellow classmates who showed any interest in him.  He’s calmed down considerably since his first year of school and well, he’s glad he got it over with.)

Liam shuffles down the sidewalk of his neighborhood and kicks a couple of rocks that block his way.  The distance from the sheriff’s office to his house is a fifteen minute walk, and Liam wants to use that time to think to himself.  He’s got his own car, but with today’s unexpected turn of events, he didn’t really think about taking the bus.  Aside from Louis, Liam’s got other things on his mind, mostly what he wants to eat for lunch.

The short hedges that line the front of his light blue stone house come into view and Liam runs past his beat up old pickup truck towards the front door, searching his bag for his keys.  He picks up the mail crowding under the door and his heart races when he spots the return address of _Schreyer Craft Designs_ on a large envelope.

“Holy potatoes, it’s here!” Liam swallows hard, his heart racing from anticipation.

He shuts the door from behind with his foot, tearing open the envelope to read its contents.  Liam jumps all over the place in victory, thrilled after weeks of waiting he’s finally been approved for an apprenticeship program with a top boatbuilding company.

The five years Liam spent learning to build boats is about to pay off after months of continual rejection from other companies and unpaid internships since he graduated.  The apprenticeship starts in a few week’s time, and he’s too excited to wonder how he’ll be spending it until then.

Liam runs to his room and belly flops onto his bed, screaming with joy that he’s finally going to do something he loves and get paid for it.  He flips over to his back and reads the letter again, his heart jumping out of his chest when he reads aloud: _We hope to have you as an integral part of our team._

“I can’t believe it, I’m going to be a real boatbuilder!” he squeals, covering his face.  “Oh my god, I’ve got to text everyone—where’s my phone?”

Liam runs back to the front door where he dropped his bag, and barely lays a hand on the flap when a car horn honks next door.  He stands on his tiptoes, looking through the window pane above, and runs out of the house when he sees his neighbor and his other best friend, Harry, getting out of his car.  Liam’s known him since they met the first day Harry moved in, and have been mostly inseparable since then.

“Harry, I’ve been approved!  I got the apprenticeship!”

“I knew you’d get it!” Harry screams, tightly hugging Liam.  “Did I not say you would get into the program?”

“You definitely said I would!” Liam laughs, rubbing his cheeks from smiling so much.  “I can’t wait to tell everyone, we have to celebrate!”

Harry holds up a finger and opens the back door of his car, grabbing two large paper bags.  “Let’s celebrate with these sandwiches first,” he smiles, handing them over to Liam.

The food is courtesy of the local deli where Harry’s been working for three years as an assistant manager.  Harry graduated school with a degree in marketing, but never had the heart to let go of the delicatessen life, much to his mother’s annoyance.  His hectic schedule leaves him with little time for a social life, but Liam enjoys catching up when they can.

“Wow, this smells delicious!” Liam inhales the freshly baked bread, his stomach growling with intensity.  “What’d you get today?”

“Tuna melt for me, prosciutto provolone for you.  And if we don’t eat soon,” he tugs on Liam’s arm, dragging him into the house, “your sandwich becomes my sandwich.”

Harry sets the food on the table and takes a giant bite from his tuna melt as soon as he opens its wrapper, reading Liam’s letter of approval with wide eyes.  Liam chomps away on his sandwich made for two, enjoying the salty goodness of the prosciutto ham and the chunks of pesto that rest under the melted cheese.  Harry slides the letter back to Liam, smiling with pride.

“Man, you’re gonna make some killer boats!  And I’m gonna be first in line when I get enough money.”

“ _Harry_ ,” Liam blushes, taking several bites from his sandwich.  “Oh, guess what!  I found someone on the beach when I went combing earlier!”

“Sea glass wasn’t enough, huh?” Harry jokes.  “So what, was it like a random beach bum or a drunk person?”

“Neither, but his name’s Louis.  He was unconscious and he had this nasty gash on his cheek,” Liam turns his head, pointing to the area where it was located.  “I went with him to the hospital, but he was pretty freaked out and wouldn’t talk to anyone.”

“I gotta say I don’t blame him.  I’d freak out pretty hard myself if the first thing I saw was your face,” Harry says sarcastically, making Liam roll his eyes.

“Zayn’s dad questioned him and he was okay, but when I came in to check on him, he tried to get away from me like he thought I was going to hurt him or something.”

Harry furrows his brow and tilts his head, then shrugs when he goes back to eating his sandwich.  “Kind of weird he’d show up like that, if I’m being honest.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think it’s strange that a guy mysteriously washes up on the beach with just a name and no voice?  How do we know he’s not some psycho from a different county that’s keeping his head down for a while?”

“Did you expect him to throw a bunch of confetti every time someone says hi to him?  Come on now,” Liam says unamused, “he’s probably adapting to the change!”

“Yeah, but in Matteo County of all places?  He’s probably got a closet full of skeletons, Liam—a graveyard, even.  Every time someone moves into town, they’re hiding something _big_ , dude.  And when someone finds him out, nobody in this county is going to give a shit about him when he’s gone.”

Liam crushes the napkin in his hand, the hairs on the back of his neck feeling like spikes from Harry’s comment.  Harry was always unknowingly insulting people, and Liam was often the only person who could set him right.

“ _I give a shit about him, you dumb prick!_ ” Liam shouts defensively, surprising Harry.  “You’re not going to understand, but I saw something when I looked at him, something I can’t explain.  And as scared as he is right now, he just needs a friend.”

Harry stares at Liam, taking in his unexpected outburst.  “I didn’t mean to shout at you,” Liam frowns, but Harry nudges him in the shoulder, easily forgiving him with a smile.

“You’re just being careful, you always are,” he says calmly.  “But the next time you shout at me, my fist is going right into that face of yours.”

“You can be such an asshole sometimes, Harry.  You never think before you speak and you hurt people.”

“I didn’t mean it, Liam, okay?  I’m sorry I pissed you off.”  Harry leans over the table, kissing Liam on the cheek to get him to smile.  “But let’s get one thing straight: I’m _your_ asshole.  I always will be.”

Liam lets out a laugh and Harry crumples up his paper bag, throwing it at Liam’s head when he stands up to stretch.  Harry heads home soon after, leaving Liam to tell Zayn and Niall the good news of his apprenticeship.

Leaning against the glass sliding door, Liam reads the reply his father sent to him about his new job ( _holy wooden boats, Batman!!_ ), and observes the calm waves of the ocean just several feet away.  He looks back at the letter with a smile on his face, only for it to quickly fade when he realizes how much is already changing in the last few hours since Louis showed up.

When Liam’s father leaves for work later that night, Liam lies in bed, staring at the ceiling of his dark bedroom.  Itching to keep himself occupied, Liam sits up and turns on the lamp over his bedside table, sifting through his bag for his sketchbook.  He quickly scratches away on the page where Louis wrote his name, paying no mind to any minute details, and holds it up when he’s done, smiling hopelessly at his drawing of Louis’s profile.

_My name is Louis with a silent ‘S’.  Can I trust you?_

—

Voices echo throughout the hall of the hospital, making it difficult for Louis to get any rest, let alone fall asleep.  What’s worse is the disgusting medication the nurses have been giving him for his throat, and it’s done nothing but keep him awake for the last twelve hours.  He couldn’t even fake being asleep when Sheriff Malik came back to question him again after he’d eaten the hospital’s tasteless dinner.

Louis had nothing to be afraid of when Sheriff questioned him, but he didn’t mean to show up like this—cut up and bruised in the middle of a beach—and wrote a made-up story to the sheriff on his notepad that he’d gotten drunk and managed to end up on the rocks in the middle of the night.

Louis was too embarrassed to look at Sheriff Malik when he handed the notepad back to him, only to hear before he left: “I understand you won’t speak because of your throat problem.  But I know you’re scared, Louis, and that’s okay; I’d be pretty scared myself.  But you’re safe now and the nurses here will take good care of you.”

The fresh bandage under Louis’s gown is too tight on his skin when he moves around, and he angles his body to lie on his right side with ease.  He props his head up with his hand under the pillow, staring at the closed blinds of the darkened hospital room.

Liam left a piece of paper with his phone number and address, telling Louis if he needed someone to talk to (or write to, rather), he’d be there.  Liam’s presence was strange to Louis, the way he easily blushed and smiled like everything was a new discovery.

Louis sits up and scoots out of bed, dangling his bare feet over the edge until it touches the cold floor.  He grabs the pole connected to his intravenous bag, inching his way towards the window, careful not to make any noise.  Pulling on the metallic beaded chain connected to the blinds, he quickly shuts his eyes when the light of the street lamp nearby floods the room.

He looks out of the window, wondering where he’d crashed his car and how he’d get back.  Considering the damage that he caused, he’s not even sure if he can afford a decent rental.  Louis sighs what sounds more like a whimper and rests his head against the wall, realizing that until he gets better, there’s really no way for him to get back on the road.

Louis looks back at the outline of Liam’s paper glowing from the light in the room, calling to him like a siren of the sea.  Except his siren happened to be Liam.  A siren who rescued him instead of leading him to destruction.

—

A metal bin is placed between Liam’s legs on the floor of his room, as plumes of sawdust slowly fall inside of it.  Liam meticulously shapes the bow of another toy wooden boat he’s built, softening its hard edges with a small piece of fine sandpaper.  He wipes away the excess dust with his thumb and grins at his finished creation.

On his desk, Liam sets the boat down next to his phone, looking a little saddened.  He’s been waiting for Louis to call for the last four days, and it hasn’t rang once in that time.  He’s not surprised Louis wouldn’t call, considering he came off rather overexcited when he asked too many questions and Louis couldn’t answer any of them.

By chance, Liam’s phone rings while he’s searching the bottom of his closet for his painting kit, and he rushes back a few seconds later, finding Zayn’s name flashing across the screen.  Fumbling with his paintbrushes, Liam drops everything onto his table, pressing the answer button when his hands are free.

“Jeez, Liam, took you long enough!”

“My hands were full!” Liam whines.  “Anyway, what’s up?”

“It’s Louis, the guy you found a few days ago?  The hospital told one of the deputies who told my dad who told Niall who told me that they’re letting him go this afternoon.”

Liam pulls the phone away from his ear, confused, only to put it back when he realizes what Zayn meant to say.  “Letting him go?   _Today!?_  But where is he going to go, what will happen to him?”

“I don’t know, but that’s why I called,” Zayn says worriedly.  “Dad said he found a paper with your number on it in Louis’s room and he was going to call you, but Louis refused—well, in his _own_ sign language, he refused.”

“I have to see him, they can’t just throw him out like that!”

“Liam, wait!  He could already be gone!”

“There’s no time to waste, Zayn!  I’m going over there!”

Liam ends the call and throws on his jacket, grabbing his keys and rushing out of the house into his truck.  Thankfully there’s no traffic on his way there and he makes it to the hospital within five minutes, running into the lobby where several nurses forbid him to go near any of the rooms.

“Where is Louis, I need to see him!” Liam demands, trying to walk past one of the older nurses.

“Young man, if you do not back away I will be forced to call security!”

“There’s a boy who came in here a few days ago,” Liam swallows, regaining his breath.  “He has a huge cut on his cheek and he won’t speak to anyone.”

“Oh, I know who you’re talking about!” another nurse exclaims, quickly typing on the keyboard in front of her.  “He was listed as ‘John Doe’ because he didn’t have any identification on him,” she says, skimming the monitor.  “The patient you’re looking for—oh.  Oh dear,” she pauses, then blankly looks at Liam.  “He checked out twenty minutes ago.”

“Shit!” Liam covers his face.  “He’s already gone.”

Liam leaves the lobby, keeping his head down when he walks through the automatic doors.  He sits on a bench next to a rose bush in front of the building, leaning his arms over his lap, paying no attention to the rustling behind him.  Liam personally felt responsible for Louis’s well-being and he feels guilty for not being there to help him get home.

“So much for saying goodbye,” he mumbles, plucking off a petal from the rose next to him.  He plucks a few more, mindlessly rolling them between his fingers when he feels a tap on his shoulder.  Liam drops the last of the petals and looks over, finding a familiar face standing behind him with a grin.

“Louis!” Liam squeaks when he stands to face him.  He’s wearing the same clothes he’d worn when Liam found him, but now they were dry and rid of sand.  The gash on his cheek isn't as bad as when Liam first saw it, but he can tell it'll heal within a few days.  Liam reaches out for Louis’s arm, but holds back and stuffs his hand in the pocket of his jeans instead.

“I didn’t think you’d still be here, the nurses told me you checked out and I thought you had gone home.”

Louis lets out an amused chuckle, smiling at Liam when he shakes his head.  "Why didn’t you want Sheriff Malik to call me?  I only want to help you," Liam asks quietly, but Louis looks away embarrassed instead of answering.  They stand in silence for a moment, and Liam notices Louis’s hands clinging to a large plastic baggy full of gauze pads.

“What’s that for?” Liam asks, pointing at the bag.  Louis first points at the tube of Neosporin inside, then lifts his jacket to show the huge bandage spotted with blood over his left hip.  “Whoa, and I thought the cut on your cheek was bad!”  Liam curiously watches Louis open the bag, handing over a small paper packet.  Liam’s eyes widen when he sees the shell inside, the size of it fitting right in the middle of his palm.

“I can’t believe a little scallop did that to you!” he says in awe.  “Is it all right if I can I keep this?  I like to collect things I find on the beach, that’s how I found you.”  Liam grins widely, only to scrunch his lips when he notices Louis's confused expression.  “I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing,” he says softly, “I know I get really excited about everything, but I’m just happy that you’re still here.”

Louis shakes his head and reaches for the sleeve of Liam’s jacket, pushing it back and using his finger to write on Liam’s forearm.  Louis’s touch makes Liam shiver a little, the tingling sensation going up his arm and all over his chest.  Liam’s completely forgotten what’s happened in the last five seconds, and he can feel his cheeks getting hotter when he asks Louis to start over.

“I-I wasn’t paying attention, I’m sorry,” Liam nervously laughs.

 _Thank you_ , Louis writes again.

“You’re welcome—wait, what did I do?” Liam asks, making Louis laugh.  “Oh!  Um, do you need a ride home?”  Louis shakes his head and Liam holds up his finger, pulling out his phone to open its notepad application.  “Here, you can type your responses to me,” he says, handing his phone to Louis, “that way we don’t have to play charades all the time.”

Louis looks at the phone, then quickly taps: _I don’t have a home._

“Oh, s-sorry,” Liam frowns when he looks at the message.  “Is there anyone you’d like me to call?  Or somewhere you can go that’s safe?”

_No one, I’m afraid.  I haven’t been able to sleep since I’ve been here and I don’t have money for a hotel._

Liam stares at a sheepish Louis, then quickly blurts out, “You can stay with me!  There’s a spare room in my house and you can stay for as long as you’d like.  I promise you won’t be intruding, you’ll just have to deal with my dad coming home at weird hours and stuff.”

_Are you sure?  It seems too much to ask._

“Louis, I'd feel insanely guilty if you wandered around by yourself.  The last thing I’d want is to see you sleeping on a bench in the park with all the scary drunks.”

_I will be forever grateful, Liam.  Thank you :)_

“If there’s anything you need, all you have to do is ask,” Liam smiles sweetly.  “Anything at all.”

—

A faded blue stone house for someone as strong as Louis’s rescuer isn’t that hard for him to comprehend, considering Liam looks like he built the house himself.  Liam’s holding open the front door, waiting for Louis to step inside while he looks around the porch in curiosity, and walks in when Liam smiles at him.  The home smells of light lavender and clean laundry, and Louis watches his step, careful not to make the hardwood floor creak too loudly when he makes his way into the living room.

Louis roams around, noticing at the messy coffee table, the well-organized bookshelves around the television, and picks up the large picture frame covered with seashells.  He lets out a surprised laugh when he recognizes a baby faced Liam winking at the camera, his light brown hair cut in the shape of a bowl.

“I was five when that was taken,” Liam says from behind.  “My mom asked me to smile but I winked instead.”

Louis hugs the frame with a smile, making Liam laugh, and places it back where he found it.

“Are you hungry?  I can make you something to eat if you haven’t had anything yet.”

Louis nods, and Liam pulls out the small wooden seat from the dining table, inviting him to sit down.  Liam walks to the refrigerator, rummaging around until he pops his head up to ask, “Are you a vegetarian?”  Louis shakes his head, giving him a disdainful look.  “I’m just making sure, ‘cause all I have left are deli meats and I need to save the vegetables for dinner,” Liam laughs, taking out his ingredients.  “If you plan on staying, I’ll be making a beef stew with rice,” he says over his shoulder, “it’s my dad’s favorite!”

Feeling his eyes droop a little, Louis props his elbow onto the table, and rests his head on his hand.  Louis’s insomnia from the last few days is starting to catch up to him, and he can feel himself drifting off for a few minutes until his head drops from his hand and his leg jerks out, accidentally kicking Liam in the shin when he wakes up.

“It’s okay, I’m fine!” Liam hops a little, setting down the plate of food in front of Louis.  “You’ve got some killer shoes there,” he laughs, rubbing his leg to soothe the pain.

Louis makes a whimpering noise, placing his hand over Liam’s to make him stop.  They both freeze and Louis looks at Liam’s eyes, slowly trailing them down to his lips that were suddenly so intriguing.  Liam's eyes widen in amazement, looking down when Louis tightens his grip.

Louis starts breathing rapidly and takes his hand back to cover his face, trying to understand why he looked at Liam the way he did.  He's sure Liam’s feeling the same way too, considering how red his cheeks have gotten in the last thirty seconds their hands have touched.

Liam nervously laughs and rubs the back of his neck, quickly walking back to the refrigerator to grab a pitcher of mango juice.  Louis keeps his head down from embarrassment, bringing the plate of food closer to him.  It’s a hot roast beef sandwich with melted cheese, its hearty scent making Louis’s stomach growl like he’s never heard before, and ravenously eats the first half as fast as he can.

“I’ll, um,” Liam mumbles when he slides a glass of mango juice in front of Louis.  "I'll set up the guest room so you can rest when you’re done.”

Louis watches him scurry away, his mouth full of food when he looks back at his sandwich.  He tries not to hit himself in the head, but repeatedly calls himself an idiot for touching Liam like that.  He sighs and continues to eat his food, chewing much slower now, and barely takes a sip of his drink when an older man walks through the front door with an armful of paper bags.

"Liam, I'm home!” he shouts, dropping the bags to the floor.  “Come help me get these groceries!"  The man freezes when he sees Louis, and he jumps out of his seat, backing away against the glass sliding door.

"Hello, who might you be?" he asks Louis, confused.  Louis looks between the man and where Liam had run off, unsure of what to do.  "I'm not in the middle of a robbery, am I?"

"Dad, is that you?" Liam shouts when he comes back into the room.  Noticing Louis’s posture, Liam breaks the confusion in the room by introducing the two to each other.

"Ah, so you’re the one Liam found on the beach the other day!  You can call me Geoff," he smiles, shaking Louis’s hand.  “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Um, Dad, I actually need to talk to you,” Liam quickly walks over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder to guide him to the front porch.

Louis sits back down, quickly finishing the rest of his food and is halfway done with his drink when Liam and his father come back into the room.  Liam picks up the bags of groceries, and his father walks up to Louis, taking the seat in front of him.

“Louis, can I talk to you for a second?” he asks in that same curious tone he’s passed on to Liam.  “Liam told me about your situation and he said he’d let you stay here.”  Louis’s heart pounds in his chest, thinking he’s being kicked out of the house already.

“You can stay as long as you like, but I just ask that you don’t make too much of a mess more than my son and I already do, is that all right?”

Louis is confused when he sees Geoff laughing at his own joke, then at Liam quietly putting the groceries away.  Louis can’t help but be endeared by Liam’s father, and he enthusiastically nods his head when Liam gives him a thumbs up across the way.

Several minutes later, Liam gives a tour of his small home, the light blue paint on the walls and endless rows of picture frames makes Louis wonder if Liam’s mother decorated the place.  Liam shows off his room, and Louis is amazed by the pictures of superheroes plastered all over the walls, the jars full of seashells over his dresser, and the row of wooden boats sitting on the window sill.  Louis takes a closer look at the boats, only to sneeze when he reaches Liam’s desk.

“Bless you!” Liam says, searching for a tissue and handing it to Louis.  “I should really clean up in here, I’d just finished sanding my new boat when my friend told me the hospital was letting you go.”  Louis quickly wipes his nose, blinking rapidly to come back to his senses.  He picks up the unpolished boat on Liam’s desk, then plays with it in a wave-like motion, imitating it like a speed boat to amuse himself.

“I studied to be a boatbuilder,” Liam explains, “I got accepted into an apprentice program that starts in a few weeks and it just can’t come fast enough, I’m really excited.”

Louis gives him an impressed smile, handing Liam his boat.  Growing tired, Louis yawns, then points at Liam’s bed, placing his hands under his head in a sleeping position.  “Oh!  Right, let me show you to your room, silly me,” he laughs, opening the door for Louis.  They take just a few steps down the hallway and into a room where a large sofa bed has been prepared.

“I didn’t get a chance to finish everything,” Liam backs out of the room, “I’ll go get the rest—you stay here and get comfortable.”

Louis looks around the small room, noticing it’s not as decorated as the rest of the house, but the panoramic painting of a large ship at sea over the window and the jars of seashells on a small desk make Louis feel right at home.  He kicks off his shoes, wiggling his toes into the free air, and removes his jacket, throwing it onto a chair by the window.  Liam comes back with a set of pillows, fluffing them up before he lays them on the bed.

“I brought you a towel and some clothes if you wanted to change,” Liam says, handing Louis a pack of unopened boxers, a pair of flannel pajamas, and a dark blue knit sweater.  “The clothes are clean, but they might be a bit big on you since I wear them a lot,” he giggles.  “Um, if you’re going to take a shower, you can use my shampoo and all that, I just got a new bottle yesterday.”

Louis smiles and immediately takes off his shirt, exchanging it for the knit sweater with the sleeves that hang past his fingertips.  He quickly unbuttons his jeans and shimmies out of them, making Liam cover the side of his face, clearly blushing from Louis’s nonchalance.

“Do you, uh,” Liam clears his throat, walking towards the desk away from Louis, “do you always undress like that in front of everybody you meet?”

Louis lets out a snort and slips on the pajamas, tightening the drawstrings to fit his small waist.  He taps Liam on the shoulder when he’s done, holding his arms out to present himself.  Everything he’s wearing is just a tad too big, but he feels comfortable compared to his outfit that turned crispy from the salty ocean.  Louis jumps onto the sofa bed and wiggles around on the fleece bedsheets, nestling his head on the large pillows.

“I didn’t bring you a blanket!” Liam smacks his forehead, “I’ll be right back.”

Taking a deep breath, Louis snuggles into the knit sweater, its clean and crisp scent making him feel warm and cozy inside.  He makes a mental note to thank Liam, perhaps in a few hours when he’ll be wide awake _._  Louis yawns and hugs the pillow under his head, barely noticing Liam placing a blanket over him when he finally falls into his long-awaited slumber.

—

A few hours later, Liam prepares his father’s food, carefully placing two plastic tubs into an insulated bag to keep his beef stew warm for a few hours.  Geoff takes the bag aside and tosses in a tub of fruit salad he prepared himself, alongside a water bottle and travel mug of coffee.

“How long has Louis been asleep?” Geoff asks, zipping up his jacket.  “He didn’t even come out for dinner.”

Liam looks at the clock on the stove, quickly calculating the time since Louis had gone to bed.  “Almost five hours now.  He told me he hasn’t been able to sleep since he got to the hospital, but I didn’t think he’d knock out as quickly as he did.”

“Well, make sure you leave some food for him.  What kind of host would you be if he woke up hungry and you ate everything?”

Liam scoffs in offense, then smiles when his dad pats him on the shoulder and grabs his bag of food when he heads out the front door.  Liam flops onto the couch to rest, only for the doorbell to ring almost a minute later.

“Jeez, Dad, you have the keys to the house,” he whines, getting to his feet.  “What did you forget—” Liam laughs in surprise when he sees Zayn and Niall at his door step, instead of his father who was already driving away in his car.  “Hey guys!  What brings you here?”

The couple look at each other, then give Liam a collective menacing grin.  “I hate when you do that,” he winces, “what do you want from me?”

“A little birdie, _known as your dad_ , just told us that you made your famous beef stew for dinner,” Niall wiggles his eyebrows.  “Mind whipping up a quick bowl for your dear friends?”

“What’s the magic word?” Liam crosses his arms in defiance, his body taking up the space of the doorway.

“Snausages!” Zayn exclaims, and Niall smacks the back of his head.

“That’s the safe word, idiot!” Niall says under his breath.

“Shit,” Zayn flatly says, “I meant, _please_ ,” batting his long eyelashes at Liam.

Liam shakes his head and steps aside, letting Zayn and Niall into the house.  The couple quickly run to the kitchen where Liam follows, and Niall jumps up to sit on the counter while Zayn heads to the refrigerator for a drink.  Liam’s used to them showing up to his house for food on random nights, but he never complains, especially since they always clean up after themselves.

“So!  Where’s your little merman?” Zayn asks, searching the kitchen drawers for forks and napkins.

“In the guest room,” Liam says, taking out two bowls from a cupboard and setting them on the stove.  He quickly prepares their food, making sure he leaves enough for Louis, and hands them over to the couple.  “He’s been sleeping for almost five hours now, I’ve never taken naps that long.”

“You’re letting him stay here?  What did your dad say?” Niall asks, licking some of the sauce with his pinky.

“He was kinda surprised at first, but then he gave in when I told him that Louis had nowhere else to go.  It seems wrong to just leave him out on the street to fend for himself.”

“That’s pretty cool of you,” Niall smiles.  “Think he’ll come out and say hi?”

“Probably not.  Like I said, he’s sleeping and he still won’t talk.”

“ _Can’t_ or _won’t_?” Zayn asks with a mouthful of rice.  “Big difference.”

Liam scratches his head, thinking of the correct answer.  “ _Won’t_ talk.  He can still make noises and stuff to get my attention, but I think he just doesn’t want to actually speak for a while.”  Liam shrugs a little, then adds, “I had him use my phone to type out what he needed to say, which is how he wound up here.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you had him write down his name in your sketchbook?” Niall asks, and Liam nods.  “So why don’t you do that?  Get him a journal so you guys can talk!  I mean, you _could_ get him a phone, but that’s a lot of money.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea!  Everything I’ve asked him has been mostly ‘yes or no’ questions anyway.”

“Look at you, all smart and stuff,” Zayn coos, squeezing Niall’s thigh.  “Have you told Harry yet?”

“Why am I always worried when it comes to telling Harry things?” Niall laughs, jumping off the counter.  “ _Amazing_ dinner as usual, Liam, thanks for sharing.”

Liam grins in approval, watching them clean up their bowls in the sink.  “Harry seemed kind of weirded out when I told him I found Louis,” Liam says out loud.  “Said he could be a psycho from somewhere else and now he’s laying low here.”

“Did he really say that?” Zayn says in surprise, “We haven’t even met the guy and he’s already judging him.”

“You know what Harry’s like, he judges everyone that isn’t us,” Liam adds with a laugh.  “I’ll probably have to tell him to be nice or he’ll bite.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Niall sighs worriedly.  “We’ll see you later, man.”

The three boys exchange good nights, and Liam walks back to the kitchen, preparing Louis’s portions.  He covers them with cling film and sets them aside, then looks through the kitchen drawers for a sticky note and quickly scrawls out reheating instructions, placing the note in front of the bowls.  On a clean sheet, he writes another note, this time addressed to Louis.

_There is food in the kitchen if you are hungry._  
 _My door is open if you need me._  
 _– Liam_

He rips off the note and heads down the hallway to the guest room, knocking on the door before he pokes his head inside.  Louis is still snoring and Liam tiptoes his way in, placing the note on the arm of the sofa bed and quietly goes back to his own room, lying face down on his pillows.

Liam didn’t expect to bring Louis home with him, but he’s not surprised if Louis decides to leave as soon as possible.

—

Liam wakes up several hours later, lazily walking across the hallway to use the bathroom.  The mirrors are covered in steam when he opens the door and he blinks in confusion, noting the familiar scent of his body wash when he realizes Louis must have taken a shower.  He shakes his head and relieves himself, quickly brushing his teeth and washing his face before he heads to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

He’s thinking about making french toast today, and thankfully, he’s got all the ingredients he needs in the refrigerator.  Liam can get careless with food preparation sometimes, often gathering as much as he can in one go and ends up making a mess when he sets everything down.  Thankfully he’s avoided that with his small gathering of bread, milk, and eggs—this time.  He lets out a curious noise seeing the two bowls he’d left for Louis, both clean and stacked over each other, and finds the sticky note he’d left in a different position than before.

_Delicious!  Can’t wait for breakfast! – Louis_

Liam grins holding his head up high and makes sure Louis gets the extra slices of french toast when he cooks them up to a golden brown triangle of fried goodness.

After setting the table, Liam happily strides to Louis’s room, knocking on the door and hoping Louis would be wide awake.  Instead, he finds Louis sleeping with his head resting on an outstretched arm, his hand hanging over the edge of the bed with an open book covering his face.

Liam quietly walks up to his guest, lightly shaking his shoulder to wake him up.  Louis doesn’t budge and Liam sighs, finding no use in forcing him awake.  He carefully slides the book away from Louis’s face and sets it aside, noticing it was his beat up copy of an old Agatha Christie novel he’d read in high school.  “Hey, I haven’t seen this in years,” Liam quietly laughs to himself.

Louis moans a little and turns to sleep on his other side, and Liam kneels beside him, quietly asking if he would like to eat breakfast.  Louis makes little noises, struggling to speak and keep his eyes open.  Liam can hear his father calling for him at the front door and tells Louis, “I’ll set some aside for you like last night.”  Louis nods, and his face falls flat into the bed afterwards when Liam stands up to leave.

Liam runs back to the kitchen to greet his dad, and sets a sauce boat of maple syrup on the table when he takes a seat.

“Is Louis joining us?” Geoff asks, cutting into the first slice.  “It’d be a shame if he missed this, too.”

“I made a separate plate for him,” he sighs.  “He took a shower earlier, but I guess he fell asleep again.”

“A nap is always good, Liam, you can’t blame Louis for that.  Oh, and are you going combing today?”

Liam looks towards the beach from the glass sliding door, then answers, “If Louis wakes up, could you tell him where I went?”

“He’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Geoff laughs.  “Go before you come back empty handed.”

Liam nods, then quickly finishes his food before he gets ready.  He changes into a pair of jeans and a gray knit sweater, throwing on his satchel and double checking for his keys.  Liam gives his dad a wave when he leaves through the back porch, his shoes sinking into the sand when he hits the beach.

Liam looks back at his house after a few steps and stares at the window of the guest room, wondering what Louis could be dreaming about, and heads onwards to find new treasures.

—

Louis snorts when he wakes up, blearily blinking from the sunlight in the room.  He sits up to stretch, then falls back against the bed, his head landing right next to the book he’d been reading.  He props himself up with an elbow and flips through the novel, having chosen it simply because its tattered and torn cover stood out from the rest of the pristine books.  Plus, Liam had written notes all over it, which Louis found amusing for the most part.  He sets it aside and heads out of the room, vaguely remembering something about breakfast.

The living room is empty, and Louis spots Liam’s father reading the newspaper on the back porch when he’s in the kitchen.  He gapes at the french toast waiting for him on the counter, amazed at the large slices of bread that’d leave him full for hours.  Louis excitedly picks up the plate to take with him to the dining table and reaches for the small porcelain sauce boat full of syrup sitting in the middle.

“Well, good morning, Louis!” Geoff exclaims when he opens the sliding door.  Louis waves at him, happily drowning his breakfast with the syrup.  “Just so you know, Liam’s at the beach and he won’t be back for another hour or two.  So if you need anything, just knock on my door.”  Louis nods and Geoff pats him on the shoulder, heading towards his bedroom at the end of the hall.

The fried bread melts in Louis’s mouth, and he savors the cinnamon crunch that formed on the edges.  He’s had gourmet meals, and his aunt cooked from time to time, but they couldn’t compare to what he’s eaten in the last twenty-four hours.  Even the beef stew Liam made for dinner was a culinary orgasm for Louis.

After finishing his food and cleaning up, Louis lies on the couch and turns on the television, deciding to keep himself busy while he waited for Liam.  He’s not exactly sure why he’s anticipating Liam’s return, but he hopes they could at least hang out around town for a while before he leaves.  Flipping through the channels, Louis finds nothing interesting until he happens upon a newscast on the local channel.

_Officials report Brahmst-Oberlin’s missing shareholder, Louis Tomlinson, is crucial to the merger with Winston Enterprises, and in his absence, the company must continue daily operations despite the rumors regarding his disappearance._

Louis’s heart starts to race and his stomach churns, quickly changing the channel to a children’s show.  Holding his stomach, Louis tries to get rid of the sick feeling and opens the window nearby for air.  He takes several deep breaths, remembering how the nurse calmed him down when he first woke up, and sits back down on the couch when his heartbeat went back to normal.

Shakily holding the remote control, Louis changes the channel back, only to find the weather report instead.  Relieved, he leans over the couch, burying his face in his hands.  Ending up in this town was an accident, but after nearly a week on the road, Louis isn’t sure if he’ll ever get the clean slate he’s looking for.

—

Sitting on the front porch, Liam stares at the ground, waiting for Harry to arrive with food.  Liam’s so lost in his trance of a roly poly walking along a crack in the pavement that he doesn’t notice Harry’s been standing in front of him for some time.  The roly poly disappears into the ground, and Liam finally snaps out of it when Harry kicks him in the foot.

“Getting lost there?” Harry jokes, handing Liam two paper bags of sandwiches.

“Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking,” Liam blinks.  “Thanks for bringing an extra one.”

“Those new hire punks tried to fight me for it, but I got my way,” Harry smirks.  Liam is oddly quiet, and Harry waves his hand in front of Liam to get his attention.  “What’s up?  You keep spacing out.”  Liam fumbles on his words, unable to tell Harry what he needs to say.  “If you don’t say anything in the next twenty seconds—”

“It’s Louis!” Liam cuts in, “The guy I found on the beach a few days ago, he’s here.  He’s staying with me and I’ve been worried about telling you.”

“Worried?  Liam, I’m not your mother— _god rest her soul_ —I’m your friend.”

“Yeah, but–” Liam sighs, looking up at a confused Harry.  “You said he could be some psycho and he’s not, he really isn’t.  I just want him to feel at home since he has nowhere to go.”

Harry takes a seat next to Liam, resting his head on Liam’s shoulder.  “Harry, I know you don’t mean to act the way you do, but Louis can’t speak right now and I don’t want you doing something stupid and he can’t defend himself.”

“ _Liam_ ,” Harry nuzzles his face in Liam’s neck, making him laugh.  “You’re worried I’d get pissy over a guest you have in your house?  You know me better than that!”

“Yeah, but I also know how vicious you can get when I’m interested in someone.”

“Oh, come on!” Harry shouts, shoving Liam away from him.  “That girl you were with last year was a real bitch, all right?  I didn’t like the way she looked at Niall and Zayn when we went out to dinner.  Acting like she was better than all of us—it was totally justified that I got in a screaming match with her.”

“Well, I never saw her again after that, so maybe you did something right,” Liam smiles, shaking his head.

“Wait, are you telling me this because you’re interested in Louis already?  It’s barely been a week!” Harry raises a brow, and Liam gapes at him, bumbling and mumbling trying to defend himself.

“Do I need to remind you of the time when we visited your school and walked in on you getting your dick sucked by that guy?”  Harry holds a fist to his mouth, bobbing his head up and down with his tongue protruding from his cheek.

“What’s that got to do with Louis!  And for your information, that was a celebratory blow job!” Liam sputters, hitting Harry to get him to stop.  “I helped him passed the final exam and he insisted on thanking me,” he swallows hard, “…with his mouth.  It was a nice mouth.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll make for a captivating chapter when you write your biography,” Harry says blankly, gripping the inside of Liam’s thigh in jest.  “So where’s Louis, is he hiding?”

Liam looks over his shoulder, then opens one of the paper bags to inhale the fresh bread.  “Sleeping on the couch.  He’s been sleeping for hours on end since I brought him home.  I go into his room—he’s sleeping.  I go out for a while—he’s sleeping.  The only time he’s ever awake is when _I’m_ sleeping.  Maybe he’s a narcoleptic.”

Harry sighs and rubs Liam’s shoulder to comfort him.  “Let me know how you like the sandwiches,” he says, giving Liam a hug, and walks over Liam’s hedges to get to his house.

It was no surprise to Liam that Louis is still sleeping in the same position on the couch.  He shakes Louis’s shoulder to wake him up for lunch, but it proves fruitless when he remains asleep.  “Guess I’ll just eat alone then,” Liam sighs, sitting at the dining table.  It takes him a while to take the first bite of his sandwich, thinking if Harry hadn't opened his big mouth, Liam would admit it was still too early to tell if he really _is_ interested in Louis.

They still hardly knew each other, after all.

—

A strange cycle spans over the course of three days, and neither Liam nor Louis have any control over it.  Liam tries catch Louis when he’s awake, and Louis only ever finds Liam when he’s sleeping.  Liam’s father is the only person who sees either of them, questioning their strange cat-and-mouse game (especially Louis’s sticky notes for Liam, writing down the times he was awake and Liam was asleep).  The boys struggle to find a middle ground until finally, when Liam wakes up at his usual time, he opens his door to find Louis coming out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

Liam is too stunned to speak and Louis unknowingly wets his lips when he grips the clean bandage over his hip.  “Uh… wow!” Liam clears his throat, “G-Good morning, _finally_ ,” he laughs nervously.  Liam tries to avoid looking at Louis’s wet torso, but he can’t stop himself from staring.  “You’re, um, er—will you be joining me for breakfast?  I’m going to make a frittata since my dad bought a lot of eggs the other day.”

Louis shifts his feet, then smiles at Liam, nodding his head in response.  “Great!  I’ll see you in a bit,” Liam shakily says as they awkwardly circle around each other.  “Hey, don’t fall asleep on your way back!” he jokes when Louis walks away.  Louis looks over his shoulder at Liam and gives him a smirk, making Liam bite his lip when he notices the swagger of Louis’s backside.

Liam quickly enters the bathroom shuts the door, his breathing gone rapid from the sight of Louis.  He normally wouldn’t bat an eye at that sort of thing—considering he and his friends have seen each other naked more times than anybody needs to know—but Louis’s body, in Liam’s eyes, is the best he’s seen in a long time.

“Jesus, what is he doing to me!”  Liam exhales and leans over the sink, splashing the running cold water over his face to calm down.  Maybe today is the day they’ll finally get to know each other.

—

Sauntering into the kitchen, Louis takes a peek over the side the refrigerator, watching Liam whisk a bowl full of eggs.  Liam turns his back and he sneaks up from behind, tickling Liam’s sides to surprise him.

“Whoa, careful!” Liam laughs, setting the bowl down.  “Wow,” he says, biting the inside of his cheek at the sight of a cheerful Louis, “it’s just really great to see you.  Like, really _really_ great.”

Louis puts his head down and smiles, biting his lip when he looks back at Liam.  He holds his hand out for Liam to shake, as a sign of their new friendship.  Or, arrangement, perhaps.

Louis lets out a giggle when Liam’s cheeks turn scarlet, happy that they’re finally face to face after their strange game.  He’s never wanted to see someone as much as he wants to see Liam, and he wants to prove that he can be of help around the house.  Louis only meant to stay until he was better, but with nowhere to go and his heart fluttering every time he sees Liam, he doesn’t see anything wrong in giving the seaside life a shot.

“You can watch some tv if you want,” Liam points behind Louis, “I’ll let you know when breakfast is ready.”

Louis huffs and points at the cutting board in front of Liam, grabbing both the sharp knife and ripe tomato nearby.

“No, Louis, you’re a guest!  You don’t have to do that,” Liam reaches over to grab the knife, but Louis holds his hand out and shakes his head.  “Please?  I don’t want you to—” Louis interrupts Liam by groaning in annoyance, and Liam backs away from him.  “Fine.  If you’re going to be my sous chef, you can start by dicing the tomatoes and cutting the asparagus spears.”

Louis grins and immediately slices into the tomato, careful not to cut his hand when he starts horizontally, then vertically.  If there was anything Louis learned in his high school cooking class, it was the precision of finely chopping vegetables to the same size for equal cooking times.

“Not bad,” Liam smiles, nudging Louis in the arm with his elbow.

Surprisingly enough, cooking together seems natural for both of them, as if they’d always worked as a team.  Louis is proud of himself for finally helping Liam and he’s thrilled when their frittata comes out perfectly.  Liam’s father comes home while Louis is setting the table, and he gives Geoff a wave, grinning when Liam comes out of the kitchen.

“I don’t believe it!” Geoff laughs, “You two are finally awake, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Well, I guess Louis finally got the rest he needed,” Liam smiles at him, setting the plate down.  “He helped make breakfast, so don’t give me all the credit.”

“We’ll see about that when I eat everything,” he jokes, settling into his seat.

Liam cuts into the frittata, serving the first slice to Louis, and the next to his father.  Louis pokes at the cooked eggs, barely taking a bite when Geoff asks, “Are you going combing with Liam today, Louis?  It’s pretty nice out, I’m sure you’ll find some neat things.”

Louis opens his mouth to answer, but he squeaks instead and looks at an anxious Liam across from him for help.  Liam discreetly nods his head, implying Louis should say yes.  Louis follows Liam’s example, and Geoff grins, giving him a pat on the back.

“Beach combing’s a lot more fun than you think,” Liam says enthusiastically, “everything you find you get to keep for yourself!”

Louis tilts his head and Liam’s eyes widen, realizing what he just said.  Sure, Liam found him, but he’s far from being kept by his rescuer.  “Er, I mean, you know,” Liam clears his throat, “you’re an exception, Louis,” and puts his head down, hiding his flushed cheeks.  Louis hides his smile, and Geoff looks at both of them in confusion, going back to eating his breakfast in peace.

—

The soft foam of the ocean quietly crashes into the land and Louis can do nothing but take in the cool breeze and the morning sun.  Today is the first time Louis has ever gone beach combing, and he’s loving every second of it, especially when Liam excitedly shows him his new treasures.

Louis picks up a few interesting shells, and Liam teaches him their names and the crustaceans that once lived in them.  Louis is enchanted when he finds two small glass balls covered in an elaborate net, learning from Liam they’re known as glass floats, used by fishermen to keep their nets afloat in the water.

“Real floats come from fishing nets that managed to snap free from the ocean.”  Liam holds up one of the balls, cleaning the sand off with his thumb.  “Not too many fishermen use these anymore, but the ones that wash up on shore are decades old,” he says with a grin, handing the float back to Louis.  “I keep finding sea glass most of the time, I have so much that it sits in a box under my bed.  Maybe one day I’ll find a place for them in the house.”

Louis looks at the floats in his hand and holds them out for Liam to take.  It seems only right for Liam to add to his collection; after all, it’s not like Louis has a big collection himself.  “Oh, Louis, no,” Liam shakes his head, closing Louis’s open palm with his hand.  “Keep it,” he says softly, “everything you find is yours.”

Louis smiles and nods his head, then brushes his thumb over Liam’s rough knuckles.  The sensation is spine-tingling, and Louis feels lost looking at Liam, his eyes widening in wonder.  Liam steps closer to Louis and he holds his breath, thinking his heart may give out if Liam kisses him right then and there.  Their faces inch closer and closer until the ocean washes over their feet, ruining the moment that Louis was sure he wasn’t ready to experience.

“So much for wearing shoes!” Liam says in disappointment, but Louis laughs, slipping out of his own and carrying them when they continue combing the rest of the beach.

Liam doesn’t try to kiss Louis again for the rest of their adventure, but Louis notices whenever Liam looks away from him, and it’s not like Louis can’t stop doing the same thing himself.  Though Louis regrets his earlier hesitation, thinking if the water hadn’t washed over their feet, he’d be in Liam’s arms right now.

They take a rest when they reach the end of the beach an hour later, lounging under an empty lifeguard station to keep away from the sun.  Liam digs through his bag and pulls out a small paper journal with a red cover, flipping through its pages before he hands it to Louis.

“My friend Niall suggested I give this to you so we can talk,” Liam says sheepishly.  “I know you don’t want to speak, but I’d like to get to know you better, Louis.  You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened and–” Liam pauses, then covers his mouth in embarrassment.  “You can write whatever you want and I’ll read it,” he says earnestly.

Louis opens the journal to the first page and motions with his hand for something to write with.  Liam pulls out a pen and Louis takes it, quickly scribbling: _I’d like to know you too, Liam.  Perhaps we’ll share more than just stories when the time comes._

Liam’s face lights up when he reads Louis’s entry.  “So where do we begin?”

—

Some time after lunch, Zayn and Niall call up Liam, mostly to bother him out of their usual boredom at work.  They ask about planning a day where they can hang out, but Liam is reluctant to answer, telling them he won’t go unless he can bring Louis with him.

“Oh, so your sleeping beauty finally woke up!” Niall jokes, “Having fun holding him hostage?”

“Hostage!  How dare you, that is a lie!  Louis can come and go as he pleases, he just prefers to stay inside!”

“Well then stop hiding him from us!” Zayn teases.  “You’ve turned into a hermit since he showed up, it’s time to cut the umbilical cord, Liam.”

Liam lets out an annoyed grunt, asking, “What do you have planned then?”

“I was thinking we could have lunch at your place next week,” Zayn pauses, and Niall agrees with a loud, “Yeah!  We’ll bring food and we can finally talk to Louis!  Oh wait, bad idea, he still can’t talk can he?”

“I got him the journal like you told me to!” Liam says excitedly.  “I gave it to him today, he seemed pretty excited to use it.”

“Would you listen to that, Zayn?  Liam followed my advice,” Niall croons with a giggle.  “Tell Louis I said hi!”

Louis enters the room holding his journal and Liam greets him with a sweet, “ _Hi Louis_ ,” and his friends shout in his ear, teasing him about his flirtatious tone.  Liam becomes flustered, and stammers every time he looks at an amused Louis.

“I’m not talking to you anymore!” Liam shouts, holding the phone away from him. “I’m going to hang up, you’re being a bunch of dicks!”

Niall and Zayn shout back in tandem, and Liam can’t tell who’s yelling out, “Get that journal so you can write your little smut letters about sucking his—”

Liam ends the call and Louis trades his journal for Liam’s phone.  He knows Louis heard the entire conversation, but Louis doesn’t say anything, simply walking away with a smile.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that!” Liam teases as he follows Louis out of the room.  “I saw that look in your eye, you’ve got something planned!”

Louis snickers when he stops in front of the couch, tossing Liam’s phone aside and sitting down to fiddle with a long black cord he found in the garage, using it to create a makeshift necklace for one of his glass floats.  Liam takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch where the only thing separating him from Louis is a small cushion lying flat between them.

“My friend Niall wanted me to tell you he said hi,” Liam swallows, tapping his fingers on his knees.  “He hasn’t met you yet, but I think he already likes you.”

He notices the smile on Louis’s face, then carefully opens the journal.  He runs his hand over the newly written entry, grazing the indents of Louis’s handwriting as if he wanted to absorb the words into his skin.

_Show me the sunset later?_

Liam looks over at Louis adjusting the cord on his neck, and smiles at Liam when he’s done.  “I know the best place to watch the sunset,” Liam grins, “you’ll never see another one like it anywhere else.”

—

At a small dock near the local marina, Liam and Louis sit at the end, listening to the small dinghy rocking beside them.  The sky’s turned to an orange hue streaked with clouds of purple, and Louis revels in the first sunset he’s ever seen that didn’t fall behind rows of tall buildings.

Louis watches in absolute awe at the large sun slowly sinking into the horizon, occasionally looking away to avoid spots in his eyes.  He pokes Liam in the arm when he notices Liam isn’t even watching, but drawing in his small sketchbook.

“Hey, I’m drawing here,” Liam whines.  Louis grumbles and points at the horizon, only to be embarrassed when Liam shows him his finished sketch.

Liam had drawn Louis the way he was sitting with his knees pulled up, the little curves that made up the soft ocean waves, and the half dome that represented the sun.  “Just wanted to capture the moment,” he says fondly, “maybe if I had a Polaroid camera I’d do your profile justice, but this will suffice.”  Liam tucks the sketchbook away and uncrosses his legs to wade his feet in the sinking low tide.

Louis doesn’t know why he’s thinking about doing this, but on a whim, he scoots closer to Liam and hangs his feet over the edge of the dock, lightly flicking the water between his toes.  Liam nudges Louis’s shoulder with his own, and Louis places his hand next to Liam’s, looking back towards the sky to catch the last half of the sunset.

Louis pretends not to notice when Liam’s pinky touches his own, but he smiles anyway, knowing he’s blushing just as hard as Liam.  Their pinkies meet again and Louis’s insides feel like they’ll burst from the act alone.  It amazes Louis what Liam’s touch is doing to him, making him hold his breath and closing his eyes to keep himself calm.

“I’ve seen the sunset so many times, but I don’t think I ever shared it with anyone like this,” Liam chuckles softly, his thumb grazing the back of Louis’s hand.  “I’m glad you asked me, Louis.”

The sensation excites Louis and he lies flat on his back, his arms spread out with a grin on his face when Liam lies with him.  Louis doesn’t feel as breathless facing Liam like this, but his heart pounds out of his chest, and he’s sure he can hear Liam’s heart doing just the same.

—

Seven days pass and Louis spends each of them with Liam: making breakfast, driving all over Matteo County, and sitting on the docks to watch the sun go down.  They keep up their game of touching each other’s pinkies during the sunset, and each touch leaves Louis as breathless as the ones before.

Louis doesn’t understand this new and constant feeling of wanting to kiss Liam whenever he’s so close, but he keeps it inside, no matter how much his heart races every time Liam says his name.  No one’s ever made him feel wanted, and Liam was doing everything in his power to make him weak with his earnest ways.

Combing the beach in the morning becomes more of an adventure for Louis, and he can see why Liam enjoys it so much.  He and Liam are like kids in a candy store, amazed at everything they find and eager to show it off.  He also notices Liam’s desperation to leave Matteo County, but Louis finds he loves the slower paced life of the town Liam has outgrown.

Louis frequently writes in the journal Liam gave to him, telling Liam whatever he wanted to know when he asks.  Well, just the good parts, anyway.

_My school had a lot of creeps and a lot of my girl friends (not girlfriends! haha jokes) needed extra protection, so I took defense training and my coach was an ex-CIA operative!  He taught me a lot of cool things on how to fight and I got so good at it that I became a bouncer at a strip club for a while._

_So if you decide to strip and need a bodyguard… I’m your man, Liam._

Liam also writes in the journal, telling Louis about his life, his best friends, and adds the occasional sketch of a random object.  They write so much that they end up filling nearly three journals in a matter of days, which Louis thinks must be a record somehow.  Flipping the newest journal open, Louis smiles at Liam’s doodle of a turtle, then reads the last entry written to him when he asked Liam about his mother.

_Mom died when I was eighteen, it was a really rough time for me and Dad.  I decided to hold off on school for a year, just to get things in order and help my dad move on from my mom’s accident.  I miss her a lot, but not as much as Dad.  He came home drunk one night and told me how much he hated not having her around.  I never told him he said that, I don’t think I can._

Louis feels his heart ache, knowing that he went through the same exact pain as Liam when his parents died.  He wasn’t ever given the full details of their deaths, since he was only ten at the time, but he was constantly told it was a mugging gone wrong that left him in the care of his aunt and uncle.  Louis felt he led a normal life with them, but he often wondered how different he would have turned out if his parents were still alive.

Picking up his pen, Louis thinks about his next entry to Liam, and barely presses the tip to the paper when the doorbell rings.  He stashes the journal under his pillow and runs to the front door, slowly opening it to find three boys in front of him.  Louis remembers Liam’s descriptions of his best friends in an entry he made a few days before (“literal sunshine, a greaser, and a giant man-child”), and recognizes them as Niall, Zayn, and Harry.

Harry stands in front of the other two, holding several paper bags, suspiciously eyeing Louis the entire time.  “Uhh… who are you?  Where’s Liam?” he asks, confused.

Louis opens his mouth, but Zayn immediately puts his hand over Harry’s face, pushing him aside and sporting a huge grin.  “Boys, I think this is the elusive Louis who’s been hiding from us!” he exclaims.

“ _Hiding from us_ ,” Harry mocks him, “I hear Stockholm Syndrome’s popular this time of year.”

Louis glares at Harry, gripping the door knob so tight he’d rip it off by sheer force and shove it down his throat.  Now Louis understands why Liam rarely mentioned Harry in his journal entries, despite the fact that they’ve known each other since middle school.  Liam loves Harry, but just not enough to keep him informed of anything else.

“Do you have to be such a prick?”  Zayn flicks Harry on the forehead, then holds his hand out for Louis shake.  “I’m Zayn!  I think you met my dad, he’s the sheriff.”  Louis nods his head, shaking Zayn’s hand when he remembers.  “This idiot with the dick for brains is Harry,” Zayn sticks his tongue out at him, and Harry blows a raspberry in response.

Niall pushes the two boys aside and Zayn immediately drapes his arm over Niall’s shoulder, biting his lip when he looks back at Louis with stars in his eyes.  “This handsome devil here is my man, Niall,” he winks.  “Say no more, Louis—I already know you think Niall is cute,” Zayn says smugly.

Niall rolls his eyes and blushes, but Louis thinks it’s sweet, and puts a hand over his chest to acknowledge how cute they are.  “Don’t believe anything he says,” Niall grins, shaking Louis’s hand.  “Can we come inside?  We called Liam earlier that we’d be here.”

Louis nods and steps aside holding the door open, letting Zayn and Niall walk in first, and hisses at Harry when he sets foot in the house.  A startled Harry immediately backs away from the menacing Louis, clinging to the paper bags for dear life when Louis gives him a glare.

Liam walks into the room the same time as Louis, and he points in the direction of the kitchen where Liam runs to greet his friends.  Louis watches the four of them interact, amazed at their camaraderie and how they all seemingly like to play fight with each other.  Niall breaks away from the group and tugs on Louis’s arm, literally dragging him across the room and insisting he join the fun.

“There is no way you’re watching while we play!” Niall shouts, putting Louis in a headlock.  Louis laughs trying to get away, only for everyone else to join in and fall to the floor in a heap of giggles.  When Louis manages to detangle himself from the other four, the fresh scab on his hip painfully rips from his skin, and he shouts, worrying everyone in the room.

Louis runs off to the bathroom, lifting his shirt to find a small pool of blood forming over the scab.  He lightly tugs on the skin below and lets out a painful whine, holding his breath to keep the pain at bay.  “Louis, are you all right?” Liam asks when he reaches the open doorway.  Louis nods at him, grabbing a wad of tissue paper to wipe off the blood.

“Hold on, I have some bandages in here,” Liam says, rustling through the small drawers under the sink.  Louis keeps his shirt lifted, and Liam kneels in front of him, ripping open a small paper packet with his teeth.  “I’m going to apologize in advance because the alcohol is going to sting a little,” Liam says nervously.  He takes out the towelette, and takes a deep breath before he settles the cloth onto Louis’s hip.

Louis lets out a loud cry from the sharp pain, and Liam holds Louis still with his free hand on Louis’s other hip, blowing wisps of cool air over the area he wiped away.  The feeling of Liam's lips so close to his skin makes the hairs on Louis’s arm stand up, and his head spins from the sensation.  Liam opens the bandage and removes its adhesive backing, firmly placing it over the ripped scab with his warm hands.

“Told you it’d sting, didn’t I?” Liam jokes with a smile.

“Are you guys serious right now?”

Liam and Louis snap their heads, finding the three friends standing by the doorway.  Louis looks down and his eyes widen in fear, realizing Liam’s face is just a few inches away from his crotch.  Liam also realizes this and lets out a yelp, scurrying backward and covering his face in embarrassment when Zayn and Niall begin applauding.

“We’ve been here less than ten minutes and Liam’s giving blow jobs to his house guest?” Harry says in disbelief.

“Shut up!” Liam rises to his feet, “I was putting a bandage on him!”

“Is that what they call it now?” Niall smirks, winking at Louis from where he stands.  Louis shakes his head, his arms crossed to show his mock disappointment.

“Well, come on, then!” Zayn motions with his hand to follow him, “Let’s eat lunch so I can tell you some exciting news!”

The dining table turns into a mess of parchment paper and scraps of bread, thanks to Harry’s freebies from the deli.  Louis is amused when Zayn goes to each of them, taking a sample bite from each of their sandwiches before he sits down and eats the rest of his food.

Zayn and Niall’s body language catches Louis’s eye, the way their hands touch, their secret whispers, and how their smiles turn diabetically sweet whenever they look at each other.  A slight pang of jealousy hits Louis in the chest, wanting to experience that for himself—to have someone look at you like you’re the only person in the world.

Louis has yet to admit to Liam that he’s never been in a relationship, how he thought he was never worthy of anyone’s love; mostly the girls who used him for his money, and the boys who thought he was too awkward to be seen with in public.  Louis hated giving so much of himself only to get hurt, and chose to accept that he would probably turn into a priest at this point.  But after all the time he and Liam have spent together, Louis wants nothing more than for his affections to be returned, and knows he can make Liam happy if he’d give him the chance.

“Zayn, whats the big announcement?  I’m getting bored as hell waiting for you.”  Harry crumples his napkin and throws it at Zayn, laughing when it lands directly on his hair.

Zayn huffs angrily and throws the napkin back at Harry.  “Okay!  As you all know, I brought us all here today because I am about to announce something _extremely_ awesome.”

“What, like anal?” Liam asks earnestly, and Louis bursts out laughing, surprised that Liam would ever ask that kind of question.  Niall laughs uncontrollably alongside Louis, and Zayn waits impatiently until they’re done with their gigglefest.

“ _Now that we’re all back to normal_ ,” Zayn shoots Niall and Louis a piercing death glare, “one of my dad’s contacts is this really rich dude and he asked Niall and I to house sit for him.  The best part is he gave us the keys to use his awesome deck boat!”  Zayn digs into his back pocket, jingling a pair of keys over his head in excitement.  “So!  I want everyone in this room to pack up for this weekend ‘cause we’re having a sleepover in that house.  And that includes you, Louis.”

Louis’s face lights up with joy, and he looks over to Liam, who’s grinning just as widely.  “Did you think we’d leave you out?” Niall asks, and Louis shrugs with a slight smile.  “Any friend of Liam’s is a friend of ours.”

“Liam you are going to queef when you see this boat, it is literally the coolest thing on the planet,” Zayn says giddily, and Liam scoots closer to him, excitedly asking for the details.

“Uh, just a second, professor,” Harry holds up a finger.  “Just to confirm, will we be _motorboating_ this weekend?” he asks with a goofy laugh.

Louis scowls at Harry, and throws a half eaten tomato slice in his face.  Harry gasps, only for the others to join in and heckle him with name calling, and he manages to shout, “You’re just jealous you didn’t come up with the joke first!”

Niall spends most of his time talking to Louis while they finished their food, and Louis can’t help but constantly smile in Niall’s presence.  Louis admires Niall’s tenacity for telling hilarious stories, laughing so hard he starts crying.  He always wondered what it was like to have a little brother and it’s comforting for to know he and Niall connect like they’d known each other their whole lives.  Although with the way Niall looks at him from time to time, he suspects Niall might be flirting with him, too.

“You have a cute smile and I can tell when it’s genuine,” Niall remarks, looking at Louis with flushed cheeks.  “Your eyes get crinkly and you hunch your shoulders when you laugh.  I bet Liam already knows that.”

(Except what Niall doesn’t know is that Liam does the same thing.  Louis’s heart flutters every time Liam smiles that way for him and it’s getting harder for Louis to resist the urge to just push Liam against a wall and kiss him with all his might on a daily basis.)

When everyone’s finished with their food, Niall and Louis help clean up the table, taking their time to fit everything into one paper bag.  Niall pulls Louis aside when they walk into the kitchen, wanting to speak to him privately.

“I’m really excited that you’re coming with us,” Niall says with a little bounce where he stands.  “It’s been a while since we all did something together and it’s really just a chance for us to hang out before Liam starts working.  Plus, we’ll be getting you out of the house,” Niall says jokingly, amusing Louis.

“Also, I know it’s none of my business, but I kind of noticed the way you and Liam look at each other,” Niall remarks with a sly grin.  “You’re quiet now, but I think…” he takes a step closer, his index finger pressed between Louis’s chest and their faces just inches away from each other, “you’ll be doing much more.  Sooner or later.”

—

The next morning after breakfast, Liam sits next to Louis on the couch, and turns the tv on to the local newscast waiting for the weather report.  It’s been raining all morning, and Liam can’t stand being holed up in the house all day.

_Currently in Matteo County, it’s a chilly 52 degrees with heavy showers that will last until late this afternoon._

“Damn it, I guess we can’t go combing today,” Liam sighs sadly.  “At least it won’t be raining when Dad goes to work tonight, I’m always worried when he fishes during a storm.”  Liam smiles when Louis puts a hand on his shoulder, lightly rubbing it to console him, and focuses his attention back to the newscast.

_The hunt for Brahmst-Oberlin Industries’s missing shareholder is still in pursuit.  The board of directors have released a statement to the public, asking for any information regarding the whereabouts of Louis—_

Liam is startled when Louis grabs the remote from him and changes the channel, running to the tv to block his view of the screen.  “Hey, I was watching that, what are you doing?” Liam asks, confused.

Louis looks over his shoulder at Liam and nervously laughs, ashamedly walking back towards the couch.  Liam reaches for his arm, but Louis flinches, immediately backing away from him.  Liam sits back in surprise, almost as if he’d accidentally came across a feral animal.

“I’ll just leave you alone,” he whispers, standing up to walk to his room.   _What was that about?_ Liam thinks, looking back at a nervous Louis over his shoulder.   _It’s like he’s scared of me again._

There’s a knock on Liam’s door a few minutes later, and Louis pokes his head in, shyly waving at Liam sitting on his bed when he walks inside.  Handing over his journal, Liam flips it open to the last page, shaking his head when he reads Louis’s message.

_Forgive me for acting the way I did, that was really rude of me._

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Liam says sweetly, “but I’ll forgive you if you want me to.”  Louis lets out a pleased sigh and sits beside Liam in bed, flopping backwards to lie down.

“Hey, what do you say we go shopping this afternoon?” Liam asks excitedly.  “I know you’re tired of wearing my clothes, admit it,” he snorts, poking Louis in the arm.  “At least we’ll have something nice to wear when we hang out with the guys this weekend.”

Louis sits back up and grabs the journal, writing: _But how will I pay you back?  I’ll feel awful knowing I can’t repay you._

“You’ve been here for weeks now, you can only deal with my handmedowns for so long,” Liam remarks knowingly.  “And don’t worry about paying me back, I still have some money left over from my school grants that I’ve saved, we can use that to buy what we need.  I won’t take no for an answer.”

Liam lets out a surprised yelp when Louis hugs him in response, refusing to let go when Louis nestles his head in the crook of his neck.  With his racing heart beat, Liam wraps his arms around Louis and breathes him in, realizing he’s holding Louis for the first time.

—

The fluorescent bulbs above the tiny fitting room flicker endlessly, making it difficult for Louis to determine if he actually looks good in the new pair of jeans he’s picked out.  Liam’s in the stall next to his, noticing the shadow of his feet moving around in the open space below.  Louis takes off his sweater and tosses it aside, trying on a dark blue t-shirt with patterned with raindrops.  It fits snugly over his small frame, and he folds up the sleeves, showing off the biceps that still had some of their definition.

Taking a good look in the mirror, Louis checks to make sure everything fits correctly, then quietly opens the door, poking his head out to make sure no one else was in sight.  He knocks on Liam’s fitting room door, wiggling his foot underneath to show it’s him, and spreads his arms out to present himself to Liam when the door opens.

“Wow, nice shirt!” Liam exclaims, pulling his own shirt over his head.  “I didn’t think to get any just yet, maybe you can pick some out for me.”

Louis’s mind warps the last five seconds into slow motion, and he can’t help but stare at Liam’s built frame: the contours of his biceps, the ridges of his abs, the v-cut that proudly displays over his hips in the blue jeans he’s wearing.  His eyes trail down the hairway under Liam’s navel, his mind sending mixed messages of wanting to ravage Liam right then and there.

Liam jokingly told Louis once that his boatbuilding jobs gave him the body he has now, but Louis honestly believes a body like his could only have been carved by a master sculptor—a living, breathing statue of ruggedly innocent beauty come to life that only the finest of hands could ever touch.  Louis looks at his own hands, wondering if they could ever be worthy of touching Liam that way.

“Are you okay, Lou?” Liam asks, concerned.

Louis looks at him dreamily, as if he’d never been called that name before.  His trance is broken from a pair of footsteps walking into the room, and Liam immediately pulls Louis into the stall with him, closing the door with his foot and backing up against the mirror.  Louis clings to him, and they freeze when the footsteps stop in front of the door.

“Sir, is everything all right?” a friendly voice asks.  “How’s that blue cardigan working out for you?”

Liam turns his head slightly, and Louis follows, looking directly at the cardigan hanging from the silver hook attached to the wall.  “Um, everything’s fine!” Liam says out loud, looking back at a giggly Louis.  “The cardigan is—it’s fitting great, man.  Thanks for asking.”

“Great!  Let me know if you need anything else!” the voice exclaims, and Liam lets out a sigh of relief when the employee leaves.

“That was a close one,” Liam quietly laughs.  Louis snickers, then stops when realizes just how close he is to Liam.  He didn’t even notice he had his hands on Liam’s shoulders or that Liam’s arms were wrapped around his waist, or how the warmth of Liam’s body was suddenly making him weak.

Louis slowly lifts his head, the tip of his nose brushing against Liam’s own, his breath hot when his lips graze the cupid’s bow on Liam’s mouth.  The soft flesh of their lips are so close to the touch and Louis melts into Liam, the strength of his arms barely keeping him afloat when they finally share their first kiss.

It wasn’t like the first time they went beach combing, all shaky and nervous; this is a new experience, and Louis knows this is the one that will change everything.

The moment moves too fast in Louis’s mind, and he can’t process it fast enough when Liam moves away from the mirror and presses Louis’s back against the wall, their tongues sliding against each other until Louis breaks away.  Louis shakily raises his hand to touch Liam's neck with his fingertips, and Liam lets out a quick breath from the sensation.  Liam brings Louis closer to him, the pads of Louis’s fingers running over the warm lips that were leaving him so breathless.

"Tell me this is what you want," Liam purrs, searching for the same look of hunger in Louis’s blue eyes.

Liam raises his hand, his fingers trailing down Louis’s neck and over his adam’s apple, his thumb drawing a line down Louis’s chest and stopping just above his navel.  Liam’s free hand presses into Louis’s lower back, the warmth of it growing hotter with every second that passes in their claustrophobic room.

Louis could spend an eternity in Liam's arms, letting him touch and kiss every part of his body where Liam pleased.  The thought alone makes Louis growl desperately, and he grabs the back of Liam’s head to kiss him again and again until the room itself turned into a sauna.

“I want to hear you say my name,” Liam whispers against Louis’s lips.  “Just once.”

—

Half an hour after Liam goes to bed that night, he hears a light knock on his door, lifting his head when he sees Louis's silhouette in the open doorway.

"Hey, you all right?" Liam asks calmly.

Louis pads quietly to the foot of Liam's bed, his looming presence worrying Liam more than anything.  Liam sits up to get a better look and Louis immediately puts his hands on the bed, the glow of the yellow lamp outside illuminating his eyes from almond to cat-like with a blink.

Like a lion stalking its prey, Louis slowly crawls to Liam, his wet lips glistening against the light of the room.  Liam's heart begins to race and the hairs on on his neck feel like needles the closer Louis gets to him.  Louis leans in and gives Liam a quick peck on the lips, then does it again when Liam keeps his lips pursed and his eyes closed.

Liam swallows and cups the back of Louis's neck, gripping his messy hair to roughly kiss him.  Louis straddles Liam’s waist and slowly rocks his hips, making Liam moan into his mouth from the sensation.  What they shared in the fitting room was beyond anything Liam shared with anyone, but this—this midnight kiss was all he needed from Louis to know it was more than just the heat of the moment.

"Stay with me tonight," Liam whispers desperately.  "Please, Louis."

Louis answers with a kiss, and settles into the open space next to Liam with an arm draped over his broad chest.  Liam falls asleep almost as quickly as he wakes up, saddened when he finds his bed bereft of Louis.  He wonders if it was a dream, if he'd imagined Louis preying upon him in the middle of the night; but then he finds Louis’s journal on his bedside table, between its pages a pen left as a bookmark.

_Return the favor when you can.  I think I’ll be running a tab on the things I want to do to you._

Liam sinks into his bed with the open journal over his face, grinning so wide his cheeks would stretch a mile long.  Until the time is right, Liam will give Louis more than just his satisfaction when he least expects it.

—

Just after eleven on Friday morning, Harry, Niall, and Louis walk along the docks of Woolston Marina, shuffling to find the deck boat Zayn and Liam were setting up for the last hour.  Zayn had taken his Ford Bronco along with everyone’s luggage to the house where they would be staying, and asked Liam to help him drive the boat back to the marina to pick up everyone else.

Matteo County was about to experience an unusual heatwave, and Louis secretly wished they could just stay in an air conditioned hotel instead.  He’s also annoyed by the blinding glare of the water, keeping his head down and his face covered with his hand.  Louis accidentally bumps into Niall when he stops walking, and Niall digs into his bag opening a pair of black aviators, carefully placing them on Louis’s face.

“For better boating vision,” Niall grins, “so you don’t go blind when I get shirtless.”  Louis adjusts the frames to the bridge of his nose, grinning that he doesn’t have to squint as much, and bumps fists with Niall in thanks.  Louis thinks it’s sweet the way Niall takes care of him, almost like a mother hen with her chicks.

“Where’s the boat?  I don’t see it,” Harry whines, eating from the picnic basket he’s holding.  “I’m starting to sweat out all my sunscreen.”

“Seriously, Harry?” Niall replies annoyed, “There won’t be any food left for anybody if you keep eating all of it!”

“Excuse you, these salamis came out of my paycheck!” Harry replies, offended.  “Besides, I brought like ten packets, what are you whining about with your two bags of Funyuns and powdered donuts?”

“You’re such a baby sometimes, I swear to god!” Niall smacks Harry in the chest, and snatches the slice of salami in his hand.  He takes a bite out of it, then feeds the other half to Louis, who’s taken aback by the act.  “He’s protective of his food,” Niall whispers, “you should hear him bitch about his sausage factory at work.”

“I heard that,” Harry says blankly.

“Good!  Now let’s go find Liam and Zayn.”

Niall shoves Harry forward and the three continue their trek to find the boat.  Louis had seen the outside of the marina with Liam plenty of times when they sat on the docks across the way, but now that he’s actually in it, he finds it’s more of a maze than anything else.

Finally, at the end of the dock, Louis spots a small white vessel with Liam and Zayn excitedly waving at them.  Niall makes a dash towards them, forcefully pulling Harry and Louis with him.  Louis is confused by the size of the boat, and catches its name: _The_ _Floating Angel_.  He scoffs at the small boat, thinking it was going to be a lot larger than what he sees, but if Zayn thinks it’s pretty cool, then he’ll just have to deal with it.

Liam waves to get his attention, holding his hand out for Louis to take.  “Welcome aboard!” Liam grins.  Louis is careful to climb into the boat, while Niall and Harry simply jump in as if they’d done it a million times.

“Hey hey, glad the merman could make it!” Zayn exclaims, giving Louis a hug.  Louis looks at both of them confused, Liam with his eyes blown wide open and Zayn mumbling an incoherent sentence, pointing in the other direction.

“I’m gonna go,” Zayn says blankly, not looking at Louis, “over there.”

Louis watches him walk away and he looks back at Liam, his cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.  “It’s just–you know–uhh, he calls everyone a merman,” Liam mumbles under his breath with his head down.  Louis doesn’t buy it and he crosses his arms, glaring at Liam for an answer.

“Okay, I confess!” Liam breaks, taking a deep breath.  “I did some research on mermaid mythology and Zayn laughed at me and he calls you that because…” he hesitates, fumbling with his hands, “well, because I told him and Niall I thought you were a merman when I found you.”

Liam lets out a sigh of relief when he’s done talking, as if he’d been holding it in for ages.  Louis stares at him from the back of his sunglasses, keeping a straight face, only to burst out laughing when he can’t take it any longer.

“Everybody take a seat!” Zayn yells, starting the boat.  “ _The Floating Angel_ is ready for take off.”

—

Clinging to the edge of the boat, Louis leans forward, enjoying the wind in his face and the splashes of ocean water every time the boat jumps.  He leans in a little too far and Liam holds onto his arm, making sure he doesn’t fall off.  It’s one thing for all of them to have fun, but it’s another if Liam has to rescue Louis again.

(Not that he wouldn’t mind giving Louis mouth to mouth resuscitation; in fact, Liam’s more than willing, given their midnight kiss.

Liam couldn’t get the feeling of Louis’s lips out of his mind, getting him so worked up he had to beat off in the shower thinking of all the other things Louis could do with the rest of his body.  Their attraction to each other is a little more than obvious now, and Liam hopes by the end of the weekend Louis will know exactly how he feels.)

Zayn slowly brings the boat to a stop just a mile off shore, parking it near a block of houses, each with their own dock.  Liam helps Zayn set up the canvas to protect themselves from the sun, and the guys start undressing into their swimming shorts.  Louis doesn’t bother to change, digging through the picnic basket for something to eat instead.

Liam tries not to stare at Louis’s ass, but he can’t help it, not when it looks so round and firm in the small blue swimming trunks he bought for Louis just a few days before.  Liam clears his throat, pretending he wasn’t staring.  “Aren’t you swimming with us?”  Louis looks up and nods, taking a bite out of a slice of cheese.

They duck when Harry screams and canonballs off the boat, splashing everyone when he lands in the water.  Niall follows with a simple but graceful swan dive, and soon starts egging Louis to join them.

“Come on, Louis!  The water’s really nice!” Niall shouts, his wide grin practically as bright as the sun.  “Liam, tell him to join us!”

Zayn comes up from behind, adjusting his Hello Kitty water wings when he stands over the diving ledge.  Louis starts laughing at him, poking at the wings to tease Zayn.  “Okay, _haha_ , laugh all you want,” he forces a smile, “the store ran out of Iron Man floaties and this is all they had left.”

“Didn’t your mom buy you an inflatable Cookie Monster donut?” Liam stifles his laughter.  “Or did you destroy it taking a bath?”

“Hey!  That was like, eight years ago, you ass!” Zayn squeaks, pointing his finger at Liam and Louis.  “I don’t have to take this from either of you, _I am a grown ass man_ , damn it.  You better watch yourselves when I dive into that damn ocean like I’m Greg freaking Louganis.”  Zayn immediately jumps off the ledge and into the water, deliberately and seductively batting his eyes at Liam and Louis when he comes up for air.

Louis takes off his shirt and Liam exhales quietly, followed by a quick lip bite.  “You’re all covered up, then?  With sunscreen, I mean,” Liam laughs.  “I could, um, put some on your back you if you wanted?”

Louis smirks and shakes his head, then points at himself and Liam before pointing down at the water.  “Jump together?” Liam asks, and Louis holds up his fingers, doing a countdown from 3, 2, 1.

They jump in and Liam’s body shoots down farther then he expects, finding Louis swimming just a foot above him.  They swim around each other for as long as they can hold their breath, and Louis swims to the surface first before Liam follows, their arms and legs kicking the water to stay afloat.  Niall swims over with his hands in prayer above his head, circling around Louis like a shark until he swims under.  Louis laughs uncontrollably when Niall tickles his legs and sinks into the water, but doesn’t come up when Niall resurfaces.

In a panic, Liam dives under and finds Louis swimming around, looking like the actual merman he’d imagined when he did his research weeks ago.  He swims towards Louis, amazed by his brown hair floating weightlessly and his blue eyes brighter than the water that surrounds them.

Liam thinks it must be a dream seeing Louis so ethereal like this—like he belongs in the water.  Louis swims closer to Liam, waiting a beat before giving him his first underwater kiss.  Liam couldn’t tell if it lasted three seconds or three hours, but he chokes as soon as he opens his eyes, letting out huge air bubbles from his mouth.  Liam immediately swims to the surface gasping for air, and Louis’s head pops up a few seconds later, his face full of worry.

“I’m okay, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Liam laughs, taking another deep breath.  “You all right?”

Holding on to the diving ledge, Louis inches his face closer to Liam, their lips barely meeting for another kiss when they’re greeted with a huge splash of water to the face.

“Don’t know if you know this, but we’re here to swim, not make out!” Harry shouts as he floats away from them.

Niall lets out a groan and splashes Harry with water, and Zayn joins him in their play fight.  Louis tugs on Liam’s arm, swimming towards the other three to team up against each other.  The boys swim around for all of two hours, stopping when Niall’s skin starts to turn hot pink, and lounge under the shady canvas.  The heatwave renders them restless as they eat the snacks from the picnic basket Harry brought with him.

Liam wades his hand in the water, swirling it around and forming a mini-whirlpool with his fingers.  He laughs when Niall lets out little yelps, watching Zayn soothe Niall’s sunburnt skin with aloe vera.  The smell is distinct and Liam scrunches his nose, diverting his breathing in the direction of the slight breeze.

Niall takes a seat next to Liam when Zayn is finished, making sure his back didn’t touch anything to worsen the pain of his sunburn.  “Your apprenticeship starts soon, huh?” Niall asks with a grin, “You excited?”

“Damn right, I’m excited!” Liam exclaims.  “I’ve been waiting so long for this, it’s gonna be awesome.”

“Man, I can’t wait for you to build your first boat!  That’s like, what…almost a year to make?”

“I don’t think I’m building an actual boat right away, but it’d be cool if I did.”

“Either way, you better name it after me,” Niall jokingly says.

“It’s just happening so fast, you know?” Liam sighs, wiping the sweat from his temple.  “Just felt like yesterday I applied and then Louis showed up—” he pauses, his eyes widening when he looks at Niall.  “I mean, I guess I’ll be making a couple of changes around the house when the time comes.”

Niall opens his mouth, then quickly exchanges it for a smile.  “I like Louis and I like you; in fact, I like the both of you together!  But Louis is a grown man, he can take care of himself.”

“I know that!” Liam rolls his eyes, “I just meant that we did a lot of stuff together.”

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere, Liam, not for a while anyway.  He seems to like it here.”

Liam looks over to where Louis sits, doodling away on the cover of the journal he always carries with him.  Louis looks up from behind his sunglasses, giving Liam a smile before he went back to drawing.  He loved that his friends accepted Louis so quickly, and he can tell Louis loves them just the same.

Liam notices Niall seemed to have a strange connection to Louis, sometimes brotherly and other times like experimental teenaged girls.  Zayn likened Louis as his co-conspirator, pranking Harry while they swam and laughing hysterically when he had one of his many temper tantrums.

Louis’s journal lands directly over Liam’s lap, looking up to find Louis lying on his back.  Liam smiles at Louis’s crudely drawn lobster on the cover and opens it to the last page, smacking Niall’s hand away when he tries to catch a glimpse of Louis’s recent entry.

_How many more times do I have to kiss you underwater to before you finally learn to hold your breath properly?_

—

An hour after the hot sun began to cool down, Zayn drives the deck boat towards the block of houses, parking it at an empty dock in front of a gorgeous two-story glass house.  The home is made entirely of steel and glass, and the glare of the sun reflects off of it and into everyone’s eyes.  It’s unlike the stone-built houses Liam is used to; a house with modern architecture like this could only mean an owner who spent a lot of money building it and spent a lot of time not living in it.

The boys pick up their bags from the boat, piling into the living room where its cold marble floors leave them cool and refreshed.  Liam walks around the house with the guys, giving themselves a tour and ogling at the expensive art pieces set on bronzed pedestals.  The elderly neighbor across the way waves at them from her backyard, then sits down on her lawn chair for a drink.

“Oh man, she’s hot,” Harry fans himself, exhaling loudly.

“Dude, she looks seventy!” Zayn squeaks in disbelief.

“Yeah, but she has money.  Money gets me hotter than a girl’s wet cun—”

“Speaking of hot!” Liam shouts, startling everyone, “We need to find the air conditioner to this place.”

Niall runs to the living room in a flash, turning up the air to its highest setting to cool down his overheated body.  Zayn and Harry leave a few minutes later to the grocery store a few blocks away, buying food for a barbecue that Liam offers to cook for dinner.  Louis and Niall stay in the living room, napping beside each other on the giant couch with the television on full blast.

Dislodging the remote from Niall’s iron grip, Liam lowers the tv’s volume to a reasonable level and sits on the floor, looking through the channel guide for anything interesting.  He selects the local channel showing “Splash”, and watches the last few minutes of the movie until the six o’clock news from the local newscast starts up.

The news theme plays loudly and the anchors introduce themselves, preparing for their first story of the night.  A large family crest flashes on the screen and Liam recognizes the design, trying to remember where he’d first seen it.

_Our first story:  Louis Tomlinson, Brahmst-Oberlin’s missing shareholder.  After weeks of searching, investigators have found no leads to his whereabouts, but remain confident they will find him.  The multi-million dollar defense company has put their merger on hold, citing their business venture with Winston Enterprises—_

“Hey!” Liam shouts when the tv goes black, “What the hell?”  He furiously presses the remote control, attempting to turn the screen back on, then tosses it aside when nothing else happens.  Rising to his feet, he notices Louis’s legs quickly crawling behind the couch, and Liam lunges for him, grabbing hold of Louis’s ankle.

“Gotcha!” Liam laughs, pulling Louis towards him.  “Why do you always unplug the tv when I’m watching the news?” Liam climbs over a giggly Louis and pins his hands on either side of his head.  “I’m not letting go until you give me an answer.”

Louis continues laughing, but Liam notices it sounds forced, and Louis’s expression changes from happy to anxious in all of two seconds.  “What’s wrong?  Did I hurt you?” Liam asks, climbing off of Louis.  Louis shakes his head and sits up, and Liam looks into Louis’s eyes, noting the worry in his face.  “Are you all right?”  Louis brushes the tip of his nose against Liam’s, only to run off when Zayn enters through the front door.

“Can we get some help here!” Zayn shouts, holding multiple plastic bags in both hands.  “No, I’m good,” he says when Liam runs up to him.  “Help Harry, he can’t get the watermelon.”

Liam runs out of the house towards Harry, struggling to get the watermelon out of the trunk.  “Oh, finally,” Harry catches his breath, wiping the sweat from his upper lip.  “This thing is huge as hell and so is the ice block.”

“Are you guys making an ice sculpture?  What’s it for?”

“Zayn said it’s to keep the watermelon cool when he slices it up later.  Said he saw it in a movie and now he wants to recreate it.”

Liam lifts the watermelon in one arm and hoists the ice block over his shoulder.  Its freezing sting seeps through his shirt, complaining to himself about the wet patch on his back when he sets everything down on the patio.  Walking back to the kitchen, Liam separates all the food he’ll be cooking for the guys, only mildly annoyed when he finds Zayn bought more beer than steaks.

He smiles when Louis walks up to him and places a towel on his neck, standing on his tiptoes to wipe away the water that trickled down his back.  Louis stumbles forward and Liam puts a hand on his hip, his thumb barely touching the newly healed skin under Louis’s blue raindrop patterned shirt.

“Thanks,” Liam bites his lip, and Louis looks at him through his eyelashes, giving him a sultry stare before he walks away.

“Someone’s hot for you,” Zayn snickers behind Liam, and ducks when Liam tries to smack him over the head.  Zayn manages to get behind Liam again, and puts his hands over Liam’s chest, groping the toned muscles hiding under his shirt.  “You keep that up and I’m sure he’ll be talking in no time,” he says seductively, “I bet he’ll be singing your name like angels in a choir when you get him hot and ready.”

Zayn moans in Liam’s ear, rubbing his finger over a nipple and inches his free hand down Liam’s stomach.  Liam yelps and pushes him away when the sensation of Zayn’s hands runs straight to his cock.

“I’m going to rip your head off, Zayn!” Liam shouts, making no attempt to hide his reddened cheeks.  “You’re such an asshole, I’m trying to be cool about this!”

“ _Ooh!  Louis, I’m so wet all over, wipe me someplace that’s oh-so hard to reach!_ ” Zayn teases, backing away into the kitchen.  “ _Ohh Liam, I’m so hot for you, let me pretend this towel is my hand on your cock!_ ”  Liam lunges forward, but he narrowly misses Zayn when he jumps over the kitchen counter, cackling maniacally when he makes a break for the patio and barely misses Niall entering at the same time.

“Dumb ass!” Niall shouts from the doorway.

Louis helps Zayn break the massive watermelon in half, and Liam smiles when Louis takes a bite from a broken piece that lands on the table.  There’s something about the way Louis eats the fruit that catches Liam’s eye, his lips and fingers glistening from its juices.  Liam raises a brow when Louis tosses the rind and licks his hand from the heel of his palm to his fingertips, happily bouncing around to the music playing on Harry’s portable stereo.

“Look at that sunset.  Beautiful, isn’t it?” Niall asks, sidling up to Liam.

The large sun slowly sinks into the ocean, its orange glow illuminating Louis like a saintly statue from where he stands.  Louis gives him a wave, his smile capturing him in some sort of heavenly aura that makes Liam’s heart race like never before.

“Gorgeous, Niall,” Liam nods, “absolutely breathtaking.”

—

Around one in the morning, a restless Liam finds himself freezing from the house’s air conditioning.  Getting out of bed, he claws his way through the dark hallway, struggling to make it downstairs in one piece without turning on any of the lights, and fiddles with the thermostat to turn off the air.

Liam manages to make it to the kitchen, his hand blindly searching the walls for the smooth handle of the large refrigerator.  He opens the door and grabs one of the large jugs of water inside, drinking until it was empty, paying no attention to the water beads that streaked his neck.  He lets out a satisfied sigh and places the jug aside, resting his head for a few minutes on the cool steel refrigerator door when he closes it.

His eyes were now adjusted to the dark and he walks back to the staircase with ease, only to be distracted by a shuffling in the living room.  The curtains to the large glass sliding door are suddenly pulled open, and Liam raises a brow, recognizing Louis’s silhouette in the doorway.  Louis puts his hands on his hips and paces a little, the bright lamp from the back porch giving him enough light to easily roam around.

Liam stays still, watching Louis reach into the large bowl of sliced watermelons topped with broken blocks of ice.  Zayn had intentionally left the bowl out, claiming the fruit would be sweeter at room temperature.  Louis takes a wedge with both hands, biting into the cool, soft flesh of the melon.  He indulges himself, slowly licking away the cold juice that rolled down his fingers and wrists as if he knew Liam was watching.

Louis takes off his t-shirt when he’s done, reaching for a block of ice in the middle of the bowl.  He holds the block to his mouth, ridding the crystalized water of its remaining watermelon flavor.  The size of the ice left Louis’s lips to suck on a small area of its surface, the warmth of his breath melting the crystals that bound them together, and his slick tongue that quickly caught the water that escaped.  Louis then places the ice to the back of his neck, sighing a little from the cool sensation.  He closes his eyes and rests his head to one side, slowly gliding the ice around his neck and chest.

Beads of water slowly drip down the length of Louis’s torso, stopping directly at the waistband of his boxers.  The glow from the lamp outside highlighted Louis’s abdomen, including the fresh scar over his hip.  Liam takes a deep breath, tightly gripping the edge of a chair and wishing his mouth was the one soothing Louis’s warm body.

The block that once was the size of an orange soon turned into a golf ball, and Louis reaches into the bowl again for a smaller block, rubbing it on his lower back where its cold sting left him gasping.  Liam swallows hard at the sound of what he thinks is a moan, and his sweaty hands make him lose his grip on the chair he held onto for dear life.  The chair screeches across the floor with Liam stumbling forward, and Louis drops his ice block, immediately backing away into the darkness of the living room.

“I’m sorry!” Liam says, quickly fixing the chair.  “I-I didn’t mean to startle you, I’m just–I mean–I didn’t mean to watch.”

Louis stays still for a moment, then moves against the large couch in front of him, his light footsteps slowly making their way towards the faint outline of Liam.  He puts his hands on Liam’s shoulders and turns him around, guiding him towards the glass sliding door.  Louis reaches into the bowl for another block of ice, and places it in Liam’s trembling hand.

No explanation is needed when Louis turns around to point at his back, and Liam slowly places the ice where Louis is directing, delicately smoothing it over the areas that made him gasp from the touch of Liam’s fingertips.  Liam inches closer to Louis when he moves the ice upward between his shoulder blades, over his neck where Liam’s lips left ghostly kisses, and down the curve of his bicep where Liam drops the last remnant of the ice to the ground, its sound echoing throughout the quiet home.

They both stay still until Liam’s insides twist so tightly he licks his lips and places a kiss Louis’s shoulder.  "I’m returning your favor now," Liam shakily whispers, and Louis leans back, giggling when he nods his head into Liam's neck.  Liam holds Louis’s arms in place, his lips retracing the trail of water he'd drawn over Louis’s shoulders just moments before.  Louis bites his lip to keep his silence and places his hands over Liam’s, sliding them down his damp waist as Liam knelt down to kiss Louis's body even further.

Liam stops at the small of Louis’s back, eagerly tugging at the waistband of his underwear.  Liam lowers the band inch by inch, the tip of his nose brushing against the warm, exposed skin until his tongue licked the clefts of Louis’s spine that makes him moan out loud.

“Don’t let the others hear you,” Liam whispers, grazing his lips against the curve of Louis’s back.  Liam slides his hands down the sides of Louis’s thighs, and slowly moves them upwards towards his crotch until he feels a painful pinch to his arm.  Louis pries Liam’s hands away, playfully wagging a finger in his face when he turns around.

“Sorry,” Liam places his hands just under the cup of Louis’s ass to bring him closer, “I didn’t realize you were so sensitive,” and licks the v-cut over Louis’s hips, laughing when the muscles tensed against his tongue.  The pads of Liam’s fingers graze of Louis’s fresh scar, the sensitivity making Louis choke back his moans into gasps.  Louis’s hands make its way onto Liam’s head, tightly gripping his hair as the kisses became hotter and wetter.

"Tell me this feels good," Liam whispers against Louis's stomach as he kisses it.  "Tell me you want more, that I'm the only one who can make you feel like this."   Louis lets out a moan that leaves his body shaking, and Liam holds Louis as tight as he can to keep him from falling.  "Say something— _anything_ ," he whimpers looking up, "please, Louis."

Louis's chest heaves slowly, but instead of speaking he shakes his head, and forcefully grips Liam's hair again.  Liam then trails his tongue under Louis's navel, his hand slowly pulling the front elastic band of Louis’s underwear even lower, and with the tip of his tongue, licks the muscles where Louis's abdomen ends and the base of his cock begins.

Louis gasps again, quickly covering his mouth with one hand and tightly gripping Liam’s shoulder with the other.  He forces himself to breathe through his nose, refusing to cry out Liam’s name; but Liam’s tongue was pushing him over the edge, nearly making him scream from the feeling alone.

Liam’s hands have a strong hold along Louis’s waist, keeping him upright while his hot tongue left light trails near Louis's half hard cock.  Louis can feel stings of cool air from Liam’s mouth, the feeling so overwhelming it makes his knees buckle once again.  Liam looks at a quivering Louis through his eyelashes, watching him restrain his voice by biting his lip.  The heat and slick movements of Liam's mouth continues until the resistance in Louis's vocal chords were futile, his throat throbbing for release when he finally cries out his first word in weeks.

" _Liam!_ " Louis shuts his eyes, his voice trembling when he repeats Liam’s name again from a sensory overload.

Liam excitedly looks up, his mouth slightly open and his dark pink lips shining from the bright lamp outside.  His big brown eyes that stared at Louis were in awe, but Liam is hungry, hoping Louis will say more than just his name now.

"I want you, Louis," Liam swallows hard, shakily breathing through his mouth.  "Tell me you feel the same." 

Louis grabs a wedge of watermelon from the table and brackets Liam’s legs, slowly kneeling until he’s sitting on Liam’s thighs.  He takes a bite and feeds the other half to Liam, licking up the juices that ran down Liam’s neck, and sucking on his adam’s apple when Liam swallows the fruit.

Before Liam can do anything else, Louis runs his index finger along Liam’s jawline until he places them directly over Liam’s damp lips.  Liam kisses his finger, and Louis leans into Liam’s neck, letting out a giggle before he lightly licks the skin behind Liam’s ear and nips the bottom of his earlobe.

Quickly rising to his feet, Louis walks away with a smile, leaving a lustful Liam on his knees with the flavor of watermelon on his lips for the rest of the night.

—

Just after dawn, Louis sits at the end of the dock next to the deck boat, kicking the water under his feet while he waits for the sun to rise over the horizon.  He’s gotten used to waking up early in the morning to help Liam that it almost seems like second nature to him now.

Inhaling the salty air, Louis thinks about what happened just several hours ago, how amazing it felt to have Liam so enamored of his body just for a few minutes.  He didn’t mean to leave Liam unsatisfied, but he knew Liam would be back for more, and he was more than willing to let Liam have every part of him if he asked.

A pair of footsteps trail behind Louis, and a mug full of hot chocolate is held in front of him when they stop.  “Morning,” Liam smiles shyly.

Louis takes the cup, grinning at Liam in thanks.  He pats the open spot next to him and Liam takes a seat, drinking from his own mug.  Feeling confident, Louis scoots closer, resting his head on Liam’s shoulder.

“About last night,” Liam says quietly, “um, I’m sorry if I came on too str— _mmf!_ ”  Louis puts two fingers over Liam’s lips, effectively shushing him from saying anything else.  He replaces his fingers with a quick kiss, ducking his head when he takes a sip from his mug to hide his grin.

“I guess that means you enjoyed it?” Liam laughs, his cheeks a little redder than before.  Louis nods his head, then notices the apprehension in Liam’s face.  He lifts Liam’s chin with his finger, giving him a curious expression.

“I’m going to cut to the chase, Louis: my apprenticeship starts in a few days.  Monday, in fact,” Liam frowns, avoiding eye contact with Louis.  “It’s just that we won’t be combing the beach as much, I-I really enjoy doing that with you,” Liam weakly laughs, running his finger along the edge of the mug.  “I mean, obviously I’ll see you when I come home, I’m still new so I won’t be given as many as hours just yet.”

Louis feels his heart sink a little, but he knew this was coming; it was one of the first things Liam told him when they first met.  He thinks it might be time to plan his exit, but it was still too soon to leave the new friends he’s made.  What good was he to Liam if he randomly disappeared without a trace?  Nobody had tracked him down to this place and he wouldn’t leave without an explanation, not when it’s so obvious he and Liam are clearly smitten about each other.

Setting his mug aside, Louis slips his hand into Liam’s, their fingers intertwined for the first time.  It’s a thrilling sensation for Louis, the sudden rush of blood to his head and heart tells him the right thing to do is to stay with Liam just a little longer.  Liam gives the back of Louis’s hand a kiss, and Louis decides that now is the perfect time to truly break his silence.  It surprises Louis that he managed to stay quiet for so long—despite the fact that his throat had healed just days after he’d left the hospital—but he wants to do this not just for himself, but for Liam, too.

Louis leans into Liam’s ear, taking in a short breath when he whispers, “ _I will wait for you_.”

Liam quickly faces Louis, his eyes widening in excitement while he lets out little laughs of utter surprise.  “I-I’ve waited so long to hear you,” he smiles sweetly at Louis, “every word you just said sounds like a new language.”

“I could always speak, Liam, you know that.”  Liam blinks and wets his lips, but instead of kissing Louis, he can’t help but bite his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot.  “My throat was absolutely awful when I was at the hospital, but I told myself to wait until I was ready no matter how much I wanted to say your name.”

“So you waited until I couldn’t hold in my unwavering desire to touch you?” he jokes, making Louis laugh.

“Can you keep it a secret?  Until I’m ready to tell the guys, I mean.”

Liam makes no effort to hide the beginnings of a devilish smirk, and leans into Louis’s neck to nip at his earlobe, mimicking what Louis had done to him earlier.  “I’ll keep more than your secrets,” Liam whispers, “if it means hearing you say my name again.”

—

_Thwack!_

Liam jumps in his seat, startled by Niall slapping the newspaper onto the kitchen counter.  Niall stands across from Liam, leaning over the bar stool and staring deep into Liam’s eyes.

“Something’s different about you today,” Niall suspiciously says, grabbing an apple from a bowl nearby.  “I don’t know what it is, but something’s definitely changed.”

“You’re crazy,” Liam scoffs, grabbing the newspaper to hide his frightened expression.  “I’m the same person today as I was yesterday.”

Niall rolls his eyes, taking a huge bite out of the apple.  “Oh sure, just yesterday I was some random dude and today I’m a pink lobster.”

“Okay seriously, you’re just getting on my nerves,” Liam unfolds the newspaper, opening it to the first page, “even if something happened why would—what the hell?”

A large square hole appears in the middle of the paper, and Liam looks through it, his face matching that of Niall’s confused expression on the other side.  “Where’d this come from?” Niall asks, wiggling his fingers inside.

Liam flips through the rest of the paper, finding another cut out just a few pages back.  “I guess it was only these two sections,” he remarks, running his finger over the immaculate square, “must’ve been a big story.”

“Niall!” Zayn shouts from the staircase, “Have you seen my Hulk boxers?  I can’t find them anywhere!”

“Ah crap, duty calls,” Niall takes the last bite of his apple, barely missing the trash can when he throws it away.  “And get dressed, we’re going out for lunch!” he shouts, running up the stairs.

Liam lets out a loud sigh when he sees the finished apple on the ground, and heads over to the trash can to pick up after Niall.  He accidentally kicks the bin over when he gets to it, quickly putting it back in place when a piece of paper falls out and lands by his foot.  Noticing the paper’s strange markings, he takes a closer look, recognizing it as the cut out from the newspaper.

Trying to read the article, Liam can barely get through any of it, not with sixty percent of the words scribbled out with a black pen.  The only name he manages to decipher is _Brahmst-Oberlin Industries_ , the company hunting down their missing shareholder.  A small rectangle on the side is also blacked out, and Liam raises the paper toward the light, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was previously there.

“You dumpster diving there, bud?”

Liam immediately stands up and holds the paper behind his back, faking a smile to throw off Harry’s suspicion.  “Just picking up after Niall,” Liam shrugs, “he missed the trash can.”

Harry stares at him blankly, then shrugs when he finds nothing weird about it.  “Zayn wants to have lunch, and like the dumb ass that he is, he’s taking us to the pier where it’s always packed as hell,” Harry rolls his eyes and shakes his head, pulling out his phone to make a call.  “I’m gonna see if I can pull some strings to get us a good table.”

Liam nods, then smiles when he sees Louis entering the kitchen.  “Oh, hey Louis,” Harry says with a weak wave, and excuses himself to the patio where he begins yelling into the receiver.  Louis quickly shuts the sliding door, effectively muting Harry’s expletive laden demands from the local seafood restaurant.   

Liam tries to take a look at the cut out one more time, only to crumple it up and throw it away when Louis happily bounds toward him.  “Hey, you,” Louis greets with a smile.  “Aren’t you getting dressed?”

“Yeah, just about to get changed right now, actually.”

“What were you holding in your hand just now?”

“Oh, just a piece of paper that fell out,” Liam shrugs.  “It was mostly blacked out, though.  Couldn’t see a thing.”

Liam’s taken aback when Louis surprises him with a kiss, holding him down with the collar of t-shirt until he breaks away, breathless by Louis’s brazen act.  “Louis, what do you think you’re—” and he’s back to kissing Louis again, mumbling into Louis’s mouth for him to stop.  But Louis refuses, and Liam doesn’t want him to.

A clearing of a throat echoes into the kitchen and the two break apart, red faced when Zayn’s standing by the counter with a smirk on his face.  “Angels in a choir, Liam,” he giggles, walking away.  Liam might have made Louis sing last night, but Louis’s song is for Liam’s ears only.

—

The boys sit in a large round booth of the seafood restaurant by the pier, and a sweet waitress by the name of Eleanor takes down their orders.  Liam and Louis sit next to each other with their hands under the table, hooking and unhooking their fingers together while they look through the menu.  Harry seems quite taken with Eleanor, flashing his dimpled grin whenever she looks his way, only to be rebuffed with a deadly snarl that leaves him embarrassed.

Louis is fascinated by the decor of the place, running his free hand down the wall of stickers featuring old skateboarding companies, musicians, and handwritten graffiti.  He takes a look at the framed pictures of the Matteo County High School water polo team just above Liam's shoulders, and his mouth drops open when he sees a shirtless, teenaged Liam wearing a tight black speedo with a head full of beach waves.

“Hey,” Louis whispers, tapping on Liam’s shoulder to look at the picture.  “Oh wow, I didn’t even know that was up there!” he laughs, pointing at the frame.  “Man, I’m surprised I even filled that speedo.”  Louis snakes his hand along the inside of Liam’s thigh and squeezes an area just near his crotch, making him yelp and accidentally kick Harry in the leg.

“Liam, you dick!” Harry shouts, “I haven’t even done anything, what the hell!”

“It was an accident, I’m sorry!” Liam swallows hard, fanning himself with his menu.  “I just… I felt something bite my leg.”

“Damn, Liam, you’re looking good in this picture,” Niall says in a flirtatious tone, taking a photo with his phone when Louis points him out.  “Jesus, would you look at that bulge!” he quips, showing Louis the picture.  “If only Zayn were big enough for one of them,” and ducks when Zayn throws a napkin at his head.

Eleanor comes back several minutes later holding a large tray over shoulder, carefully placing Zayn and Niall’s food in front of them, while giving Harry a glare when she hands him his plate.  Liam’s fish tacos and Louis’s basket of catfish and chips are the last off the tray, and she gives both of them a wink before she leaves.

“Oh, so that’s how it is.  She winks at you losers and not me,” Harry huffs, poking at his food.

Bouncing in his seat, Louis immediately grabs the largest piece of catfish, its crunch echoing over the table when he takes his first bite.  Liam lets out a laugh and Niall leans over the table to grab a piece for himself, only to be greeted with a painful and loud slap to the hand from Louis.

“Ow!  That really hurt!” Niall whines, rubbing his hand.

“Maybe if you asked first I wouldn’t have done that,” Louis retorts, squeezing a lemon wedge over his food.

“I’m sorry, _did I just hear Louis speaking_?” Harry says with wide eyes, catching Zayn and Niall’s attention.  “I’m sure I just heard him speak, I’m not making this up.”

Louis snickers, then anxiously looks at the reactions of the boys, unsure if he’s ready to laugh again when he sees Niall’s huge smile, Zayn’s wide-eyed expression, and Harry’s death stare.  Liam is the only one looking at Louis from the corner of his eye, acting as nonchalant as possible when he takes a bite from his fish taco.

“Uh, surprise?” Louis laughs nervously.

Niall looks directly at Louis, his eyes darting back and forth between him and Liam.  Louis tilts his head confused and Niall raises an eyebrow, the corner of his lip curling upward into a smirk.

“Do share with the class, Louis,” Niall winks.

“Hey!” Harry squeaks, “What was that wink about!  Why does everyone get a wink but me!”  Niall waves him off, and Harry sputters demanding an answer.  “And you!” Harry points his finger across the way at a surprised Liam, “You were quiet the entire time, you knew he could speak!”

“I also know you insulted Louis last week, you little shit,” Liam takes a sip from his drink, “I should have squashed you like a bug.”

“He hissed at me!”

“I do apologize, Harry,” Louis says sweetly, “but it’s okay, I forgive you.  It’s what friends do.”

“ _This is so weird_ ,” Harry whispers loudly.

“I think this is awesome!” Niall exclaims, “I have so much to ask you, Louis!”

An hour into their lunch, Niall makes his way to Louis and switches seats with Liam, asking where he’s from and why he chose not to speak for so long.  Louis is flattered by Niall’s curiosity and answers around the personal questions, instead telling him other things that would be interesting, like his stint as a bouncer or that he claimed to set the boys’ bathroom on fire in high school to get out of a test.

Occasionally, when Louis thinks Niall isn’t paying attention, he steals a glance at Liam every chance he gets, looking away when Liam did the same.  But Niall is clever enough to catch on to their little act, and Louis refuses to answer when Niall asks if he or Liam had made a move on each other yet.

“You’re in denial, I can tell how red your face is right now!” Niall giggles, pinching Louis’s cheeks.  “You’ve got Liam by the balls, I know it!”

“You’ve got a wild imagination, Niall,” Louis laughs, “I wouldn’t dare take advantage of my kind host.”

Niall shakes his head, smirking when he says, “Such lies you’re telling me!  You’re much more than just a guest in Liam’s house.  Not to say you’re his concubine or anything.”

Louis bursts out laughing, and notices when Zayn blows a kiss to Niall.  “What does it feel like to be with Zayn?  The way you look at each other is so infectious.”

Niall looks across the table to Zayn, his cheeks a light shade of pink when he looks back at Louis.  “To be honest, I get butterflies all the time,” Niall looks down to smile, his finger drawing circles over the table.  “I didn’t always look at Zayn the way I do now, but it took time.  I’m glad I gave him a chance, he’s really a great guy.”

“Did you know from the beginning that you would be together?”

“Not really,” Niall shakes his head.  “I didn’t expect much out of anything when I moved here with my dad two years ago.  I came from the city and it was so weird adjusting to a quieter life, but now I can’t imagine how I would have gone a day without Zayn helping me through it.  He was just so strange when we met, but he always made me laugh, and I guess it was enough for me to be madly in love with him for the last two years.”

Niall looks back at Zayn with hearts in his eyes, and Louis lets out a surprised laugh when Niall kisses him on the cheek, hugging him tightly afterwards.

“You’re getting too comfortable with my man there, Louis,” Zayn jokingly wags his finger.  “Everybody get up!  We’re going for a joy ride.”

—

With his arm resting on the edge of the window, Liam takes in the rush of wind on his face, its cool air billowing freely through his hair.  Louis seems to be doing the same thing on the opposite side of the car, and Liam can’t help but wonder how the sun always illuminates Louis from every angle, almost like a halo.

Zayn drives at a fast but moderate speed with his arm around Niall and Harry riding shotgun.  Zayn accidentally drives over a large pothole, and Liam freaks out when a large red utility knife lands next to his foot.  Louis quickly picks it up, being careful not to cut himself when he flips the blade open.

“This is a big knife, what do you need this for?” Louis asks Zayn in amazement.

“Oh, did that fall out?” he replies over his shoulder.  “I keep a bunch of things in here just in case of an emergency.”

The radio static in the Bronco scrambles as they drive further up the road, and Liam looks over the seat, noticing Zayn fixing the frequency dials between Niall’s legs.  Liam had forgotten Zayn installed a CB radio in his car, mainly to listen in on dispatch calls when he and Niall weren’t working.

_93?  93, do you copy?  93, what’s your 10-20, over?_

“Zayn, don’t!” Niall shouts, “You can’t answer this call, your dad will flip out!”

“Hey, I’m just listening, all right!  If it’s in the area, we’ll check it out.  If not, then we’ll go back to the house.”

The static scrambles again and Zayn increases the volume, making Niall curse under his breath.  Liam vaguely understands the jargon where Zayn and Niall are well-versed, only catching the phrase “abandoned vehicle” by the end of it, and notices Louis’s sudden change in posture.  Niall pleads with Zayn not to find the car, but Harry is insistent that they look for it before Zayn’s father gets there.

“The car is just up the road by the end of the beach, I want to take a look at it,” Zayn says.

“This is a bad idea, not to mention _illegal_ ,” Niall emphasizes.  “We’ll be contaminating the scene!”

“You’re acting like someone got shot, which I’m pretty sure is not the case,” Zayn scoffs, pulling over to the side of the road.  “We’ll just take a quick look and bail, it’s not even that big of a deal!”

“Will you guys shut up for a second?” Liam scoots to the edge of his seat, gripping the shoulders of the bickering couple in front of him.  “The four of us will go find the car and Niall can be the lookout, that way you can call us if Zayn’s dad shows up.”

Liam feels a slight breeze pass his cheek, then turns to face Louis.  “You coming with us, Lou—uh, Louis?  Where’d he go?”  Liam stares at the empty seat where Louis once sat, dumbfounded at how he escaped without any of them noticing.

Zayn taps Liam’s arm and points out of the window where he finds Louis crossing the road and quickly running into the secluded area.  Liam jumps out of the back seat and shouts for Louis to wait, chasing after him with Zayn and Harry in tow.

“If you’re not back in fifteen minutes I’m driving away!” Niall shouts in the not too far distance.

Liam runs as fast as he can to catch up, jumping over the foliage that snagged at his ankles.  He loses sight of Louis when he falls over, his foot caught in a tangle of vines he can’t break from.  Harry helps him out of his trap and Zayn runs ahead of them, catching up a few minutes later when they come to a full stop a few yards away.

The abandoned black car is jammed against a large beach rock, its side and back windows blown out, save for the open door on the driver’s side.  Liam steps forward, but Zayn holds his hand out, stopping him before he can go any further.

“Don’t touch anything,” Zayn says seriously.  “The last thing we need is my dad’s crew dusting for fingerprints and we’re all over it.  Got it?”

Harry and Liam nod their heads, then split three ways around the car to assess the damage.  Zayn heads to the front, Harry to the back, and Liam to the driver’s side.  Liam carefully sticks his head through the open door, and the faint new car smell mixed with the salty air that greets his nose nearly makes him retch.  When he comes to his senses, he wonders by the amount of glass scattered all over the seats how anyone even made it out alive.

“This is heavy duty stuff,” Harry says through the open window, “must’ve been a drunk driver or something.”

“I’m guessing the car was driving down the road and crashed here,” Zayn shouts over them.  “The tire tracks are gone, but you can see it made a mess all over the vines.”

Harry takes a deep breath and blows away the collective pile of dust and sand over the trunk.  “This must have been here for a while—a month, maybe.”

A portion of an embroidered patch on the dashboard catches Liam’s eye, as well as the messy, open glove compartment.  Liam leans in as far as he can, making note of the patch’s sloppy removal, with at least thirty percent of the remaining design still intact.

“I’ve seen this before,” Liam whispers to himself, nearly touching the patch with his finger.  “Didn’t Louis’s ring have that?”

“You find anything interesting, Liam?” Zayn asks as he inspects the BMW insignia on the hood.

“Just a hole in the dash, but other than that—nothing.”

Harry makes a strange noise, bending down and squinting at the license plate.  “This must have been a company car, the logo’s been scratched off from the trunk and it looks fresh, too.”

“Some asshole kids probably got to it before we did,” Zayn mumbles under his breath.

A second later their phones go off at the same time, flashing a message from Niall: _Sheriff’s coming up get out now!_  The boys make a run for it, making it back to the Bronco in record time.  Niall berates Zayn when they get back, shouting at him for all the rules they’re breaking that could cost them their jobs.

“You better not have touched anything,” Niall growls, “if we get suspended for this, I will–”

“We didn’t do anything wrong!” Zayn interjects, “We looked at the car and that was it, I swear!”

“Guys, where’s Louis?” Liam asks, looking around the car when his heart starts to race.  “Where is he!” he panics, “He ran ahead of us and I didn’t see him when we were coming back!”

“I thought he was with you!” Niall says confused.  “I saw him when I was sending my text and he ran the other way saying you were right behind.”

The back of the Bronco bounces and everyone jumps in their seats, the pounding of Liam’s heart quickly placated at the sight of Louis.

“Hey,” Louis awkwardly slides into his seat, “you guys okay?”

Everyone lets out a sigh of relief and Zayn starts the car, making a u-turn to head back to the house.  He panics a few seconds later when he sees the familiar SUVs from the sheriff’s department roaring up the road.  “Oh shit, my dad called the deputies,” he says in a hushed tone.  “Everyone hide!  Get down now!”

Liam ducks under the window and onto the floor, his head and back pressed against Zayn’s seat when the SUVs zoom past the Bronco.  The car slows down considerably, and Liam pokes his head up, only for Zayn to dunk his head back down.  “It’s not safe yet!” he says over his shoulder.

“This is exciting, isn’t it?” Louis whispers with a huge grin.  He’s angled his body to lie flat on the seat, his head resting just under the door handle.  Liam inches his way over to Louis, struggling to keep his head down until Niall taps him on the shoulder.

“Okay, we’re good now,” Zayn laughs, “that was a close one!”

Zayn steps on the gas and Liam gets back in his seat, only for Zayn to scream out, “Turtle!”, when he sees one in the middle of the road.  The car swerves and its sheer force launches the lighter bodied Louis out of his seat, slamming into Liam with his back smacking against Liam’s chest.

“Whoops!” Zayn sings, “You guys okay back there?”

Liam’s holding onto Louis’s arms, their faces just inches away when Louis looks over his shoulder.  The surprise of it all seems to have thrown both of them off-guard, and it doesn’t help that Louis unknowingly has his hand over Liam’s crotch to keep himself propped up.

“Whoa-ho!  Check out the little hands-on experiment back here!” Niall teases with wolf whistle.  “Get a good handful there, Louis?”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Liam scoffs, “as if this is any worse than what you and Zayn pull at the station.”

Liam sits up and Louis slightly scoots away, his hand leaving Liam’s crotch for his knee instead.  “Sorry about the–the thing with your pants,” Louis looks away embarrassed, “I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“It’s cool, nobody’s laid a hand on it in a while anyway,” Liam jokes when he puts his hand over Louis’s own.

Louis gives him a chuckle, and turns his hand over to link their fingers.  Liam stays quiet and bites the inside of his cheek, just noticing how warm Louis's skin felt to the touch.  He’s desperate to put his arm around Louis and bring him closer, but he senses the timing might be off, and finds just holding his hand is satisfying enough.

—

Several hours after the joy ride, the guys go out for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant right on the beach, complete with a fully stocked bar and an open space for a dance floor.  Two little girls ask Harry and Liam to dance with them, and Louis finds it adorable watching them carry the girls on their waists while they bounced along to the loud salsa music.

Zayn and Niall also dance for a while, but Niall breaks away and sits on Louis’s lap, with Zayn asking if they want a drink.  Louis hasn’t had a drink in years, not since his junior year of college when he had one too many shots of vodka and somehow woke up on a bathroom floor with his head lodged between the wall and the back of a toilet.  But it’s not college anymore and obviously one beer wouldn’t hurt.

Niall exchanges his seat on Louis’s lap for the chair across from him, and gives Zayn a kiss when he comes back with their drinks.  Louis teases Zayn for ordering a margarita, only for Niall to take a sip for himself before Zayn can lay a hand on it.  They talk for a while about their drunken adventures, and Louis is more than interested when they mention Liam’s ability to rebound from a hangover.

“You know, Liam’s normally a clean dude, but he can get pretty crazy on champagne,” Zayn says worriedly.

“Oh yeah, that’s like his weakness,” Niall nods, taking a swig from his beer bottle, “I think he drank three or four bottles on his twenty-first birthday!”

“Remember when he woke up the next morning?” Zayn barks with laughter, his hand pounding into the table from the hilarity.  “He was so fucked up, he kept having these hilarious wartime flashes, saying he saw a pair of boobs every time he closed his eyes.”

Niall leans over the table, his hand covering part of his mouth to whisper, “Apparently, Harry saw Liam fucking a girl on the hood of her car, but he couldn’t prove it and Liam doesn’t remember any of it.”

“Oh.  That’s… interesting…” Louis sports a blank face, unsure if he wants to roll his eyes or not.  He settles on a loud sigh instead, and Zayn raises his brow, thinking he might have offended his friend.

“Hey, forget about it, that was a long time ago,” Zayn assures Louis, “I don’t think Liam ever did it though, he used to be pretty crazy about sex, but not anymore.  There was one time when we visited him at school—”

“Zayn!  Don’t tell him that!” Niall says in horror.  “Liam’s going to kill us if he finds out!”

“Oh!  Oh my god, that’s my bad,” Zayn laughs nervously, but Louis doesn’t want to know what Liam was up to during that time.  All that matters to Louis is what Liam does with him when the guys aren’t looking.  “It’s more of an emotional thing for him now, like he has to personally get to know someone before he goes for it.  Kind of like what he has with you.”

“Wi-With me?” Louis sputters his words a little, but sounds flattered nonetheless.  “I, uh, we’re not even–I mean _obviously_ I’d like to–”

“Louis, just stop,” Zayn snorts.  “I know what I saw in the kitchen this afternoon.”

“Aw man, I’m out,” Niall sadly says as he wiggles his beer bottle.

“I’ll get another one,” Zayn takes out a few bills from his wallet, then nudges Louis in the arm when he gets out of his chair.  “You okay there, Louis?  Or do you want something stronger?”

Louis shakes his head and looks back to the dance floor, immediately spotting Liam slow dancing with the same little girl to a slower song.  When Liam turns his head, he catches Louis’s eye and whispers in the girl’s ear, pointing in Louis’s direction.  The girl waves at him and Louis waves back with a smile, making her giggle when she hugs Liam’s neck.  

“Hey, did you go shopping or something?” Niall asks, reaching over to touch the sleeve of Louis’s shirt.  “Your clothes don’t look as big on you as before.”

“Oh, these?  Yeah, Liam got them for me,” Louis smoothes out his shirt, checking for stains.  “I think he was just running out of handmedowns for me to wear,” he laughs, shaking his head.  “I was embarrassed to go because I couldn’t pay him back, but he didn’t seem to care.”

“He’s like that with all of us, actually,” Niall laughs, adjusting the bracelets on his wrist.  “And judging by your outfit, I can tell he got you whatever you wanted.”

Louis’s eyes widen in surprise, wanting to smack the smug grin off of Niall’s face.  It was easy to remember their brief tryst in the dressing room, and thinking about it makes the back of Louis’s neck feel hotter than usual, running his hand through his messy hair to hide his flushed cheeks.

They continue talking until a plate smashes onto the floor, catching everyone’s attention.  Zayn’s voice echoes through the restaurant, followed by a bevy of chairs being pushed aside.

“You need to step aside, punk!” Zayn yells, pushing a taller boy in front of him, an obnoxious drunk college type.  “I’m not going to ask you again!”

“So why don’t you get the hell out of my way!” the taller boy growls, and pushes Zayn even harder.  Zayn stumbles back and turns his head to laugh, and in a split second, lays a right hook to the boy’s jaw.

Liam and Harry rush to Zayn’s side, pulling him away while he kicked and screamed, “Get the fuck off me, Harry!  Let me fucking go, this is my fight!”

Zayn’s attacker puts his hand on Liam’s arm and Louis’s defense training kicks into gear, running towards Liam and quickly pushing his opponent away with his hand.  Instead of a punch, Louis uses elbow to hit the taller boy, the impact of the hit is so strong that his nose begins to bleed.

Niall yells for Louis to turn around and ducks when another assailant tries to throw a punch, and Louis successfully tackles him to the floor using his shoulders.  Louis tries to inflict more damage, but as soon as he puts his fist up, he’s being pulled away by the waist by a desperate Liam begging him to stop.

“That’s enough, Louis!  We have to go!” Liam screams over him.

A loud hiss blasts overhead and a white cloud showers from the ceiling, effectively breaking up the fight.  The fog clears and the manager of the restaurant is clutching a fire extinguisher in his hand, shouting at everyone to leave before he calls the cops.  Zayn angrily grabs Niall by the arm, shoving his way out with Harry running after them.

Louis is the last to leave, throwing down a couple of hundred dollar bills to the bartender, telling him it’s for any damage he caused.  Liam’s waiting for him when he gets to the door, and together they walk back to Zayn’s Bronco where he continues shouting about being thrown out.  The only thing that puzzles Louis is the look on Niall’s face isn’t that of a concerned boyfriend, but more like a hungry beast waiting for its next meal.

“Hey, are you all right?” Liam asks, putting his hand on Louis’s shoulder.  “You really went to town on that guy!”

“That guy laid a finger on you, I wasn’t going to let him hurt you,” Louis shakes his head.  “But thanks for saving me from doing anything else.”

“It was nothing, really,” Liam blushes and looks down, shuffling his feet a little.  “I’m glad you’re okay, even if you did most of the ass-kicking.”

Louis laughs and crosses his arms, wondering when Zayn will calm down until Liam clears his throat to get his attention.  “Louis, where did you get that money?  The one you paid the bartender with?” he asks curiously.  “I-I mean, I know it’s none of my business, and you know I don’t mind paying for you, but—”

“The guy I pushed over,” Louis digs into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a thick brown leather wallet.  “I picked his pocket.”  Liam mouth drops open and Louis takes out a huge wad of cash, casually tossing the wallet over his shoulder.  “How about a glass of champagne to celebrate?” he asks suggestively.

“Oh no,” Liam freezes, “that’s such a—no.  I can’t drink that.”

“That’s just too bad,” Louis pouts and puts the cash away, then takes a step closer to Liam.  “I kinda like it when the bubbles hit my nose and make me feel… _loose_.  Surely you feel the same.”

“No, Louis, not with champagne,” Liam closes his eyes, his breath stuttering, “I won’t remember anything and your body is pretty unforgettable.”

—

Half an hour later, Niall drives everyone back to the house, going at speeds of 70 miles per hour on a 35 lane.  When they reach the driveway, Niall forcefully pulls Zayn out of the car, shoving him towards the front door and down the hallway to their room.  Louis flops onto the couch to rest, while Liam and Harry grab a few beers from the refrigerator, inviting Louis to join them.

“It’s best if you stay outside, you really don’t want to hear them,” Harry points in the direction of the bedrooms, implying that he meant Zayn and Niall.

“I don’t think I understand,” Louis says confused.

Liam lets out a goofy laugh and hands Louis a beer.  “They can get pretty loud.”

“Shouldn’t they take that up with a counselor?” Louis slowly asks, still trying to grasp the meaning of it all when Liam and Harry leave the room snickering.  Louis takes a swig of his beer and sets it on the coffee table, deciding he needs to change into something more comfortable before he joins them.

Quickly undressing in the room he shares with Liam, Louis switches his jeans for a pair of basketball shorts, and ducks when he hears a loud thumping through the wall.  He runs out to the hallway, hearing a muffled shout coming from Zayn and Niall’s room.

Louis quietly tiptoes to their door and finds it slightly ajar, spotting Niall’s head hanging from the edge of the bed, his teeth bared when he grunts every other second.  Louis carefully pushes the door a little wider and he freezes from utter shock.  A half-clothed Zayn with his boxers and jeans halfway down his thighs lies over a naked Niall, fucking him so hard the walls shake.

Louis is too stunned to move, his heart racing so fast he can’t even breathe properly.  The sound of Niall moaning from pleasure sends shockwaves through Louis’s ears, and it ripples down his spine when Zayn fucks even harder into Niall, his curses echoing all over the room.

Louis continues watching, his mouth agape when it finally dawns on him why Niall looked so ravenous at the restaurant.  And as much as he tries, Louis can’t stop staring at the way Zayn sucks on Niall’s neck, and how Niall runs his nails down Zayn’s arms, breathlessly begging for more.  Louis can feel a twitch in his cock, and he places his hand over it to stop himself from getting any harder.  He briefly looks away and licks his lips, only to realize when he looks back–

Niall is staring at him.

A wide grin grows on Niall’s face, his moans turning into laughs when Zayn fucks him even harder.  Zayn pulls out of Niall a minute later and removes the rest of his clothes before they switch positions.  Niall climbs on top of Zayn to straddle his hips, reaching from behind to position Zayn inside of him before he threw his head back with a loud _oh!_ that makes Louis cover his mouth from doing the same.  Niall grabs the back Zayn’s head and kisses him hard, but his eyes are focused on Louis, his stare equal parts devious and playful when he beckons Louis with his finger.

Louis is hypnotized by Niall’s gaze, wanting to join until Zayn lets out a surprised grunt that startles him, and Niall starts riding Zayn a little faster than before.  Watching Zayn and Niall sparks something inside of Louis, and it wasn’t just the blood rushing to his cock—the blood was rushing to his brain too, thinking of all the ways he could please Liam, if only he knew how.

“What are you looking at, huh?” Zayn grits through his teeth, his hand roughly stroking Niall's cock, “You looking at someone not me?”

“I’m looking at Louis,” gasping when Zayn's hand goes even faster, “and I want you to watch when he fucks my brains out.”

Zayn growls and rocks his hips even harder into Niall, making his throat quiver with every yelp he lets out.  “You’re forgetting something, Niall.  We don’t fuck anyone that belongs to Liam.”

Niall groans when he sinks deeper into Zayn, his body shaking when he finally comes.  Louis steps away from the door clutching his chest, clearly embarrassed and amazed that he almost came without touching himself.

Liam calls for Louis from the patio and he straightens up, making sure his t-shirt hid any visible sign of a bulge in his shorts before he went back outside.  Louis runs to living room with a smile on his face, and lends a hand when he finds Liam carrying a visibly passed out Harry to the couch.

“Big guy fell asleep as soon as he sat down,” Liam strains when he adjusts Harry’s gangly legs, and Louis props his head up with a pillow underneath.  “Hey, you all right?” Liam asks when Louis rises to his feet.  “Your face is really red!”

“I’m fine!” Louis says too quickly, covering his cheeks.  “Um, let’s sit outside, I probably just need some air.”

Liam takes Louis by the hand to the patio, and sits him down on one of the wooden lounge chairs.  Liam stretches his legs out when he settles into his seat, and Louis notices Liam putting his hands between his thighs, opening and closing them to give himself something to do.  Thinking of a plan to get closer, Louis makes his move, quickly slipping out of his seat and into the open space between Liam’s legs.

“Whoa!” Liam laughs in surprise.  “Interesting seat you’ve taken,” he purrs, wrapping his arms around Louis’s waist.

“Ergonomically speaking, this is more comfortable,” Louis says jokingly, and wiggles his ass a little just to hear Liam choke back a breath.  It works and Louis does it again, prompting Liam to whisper, “ _Save it for later._ ”

Liam leans back in his seat and Louis follows, resting his back over Liam’s chest while they nestled their heads together.  Louis closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, taking in the sound of the boats rocking on the shallow water.

“Louis, did you, um…” Liam ducks his head a little, and holds onto Louis just a little tighter.  “Do you want to be with me?”

Louis’s legs jerk out and he sits up, looking at Liam with wide eyes.  “Be with you,” he breathes out, “as in you’d be my—”

“Your boyfriend, yes.  And you’d be mine, too.”

Without hesitation, Louis wraps his arms around Liam, excitedly kissing his face all over until Liam stops him for a kiss on the lips.  It’s warm and slow and it’s all the things Louis ever wanted from Liam, but didn’t know he could have.

—

_Fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine…_

Liam wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of numbers, wondering if he’s thinking out loud by counting sheep.  He looks over his shoulder and finds Louis hunched in the corner with a portion of the window’s curtain pulled back for light.  Louis continues to whisper, his hands moving quickly before he fixes what looks to be a stack of papers.

The bed squeaks when Liam tries to get a better look, and Louis stops counting, his head facing in Liam’s direction.  Liam coughs and changes his position on the bed to divert Louis’s attention, waiting a few moments before he continues where he left off.  The numbers go on for another minute until Louis stops, whispering, “ _Twenty-five thousand should be enough_.”

Liam tries to think of a plausible theory of what the number could mean until the light from the window is gone and Louis is walking towards the bed.  He sits in the empty space in front Liam, his fingers lightly tracing circles along Liam’s lower back.

“Hey,” he whispers with a smile, “you’re tickling me.”

“I’m sorry if I woke you up.”

Liam scoots a little closer, placing his hand on Louis’s arm.  “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“I was figuring out a way to help, Liam.  And I think I know how.”

“But… you’re always helping me and Dad around the house, I don’t understand?”

“You’ll see.  Just give me a few days.”

Liam removes his hand from Louis’s arm, only to laugh when Louis pushes him down, purposely climbing over him to get to the vacant spot in his bed.  Liam wraps his arm around Louis, leaving little kisses along his neck that makes him giggle.  Louis lets out a sigh when he adjusts his head on the pillow, his breathing turning slow and rhythmic within a minute.

Liam’s eyes droop down and he figures his plausible theory will have to wait, because the meaning of a number was nothing compared to the feeling of Louis in his arms.

—

Louis wakes up several hours later with his arm draped over Liam’s chest.  He doesn’t remember changing positions, but he smiles at Liam’s rested state, finding his nose twitches endearing when he snores.  Louis runs his index and middle finger over Liam’s collarbones, noticing how prominent they were under his white tank top.  Liam stirs, letting out a satisfied moan from Louis’s touch.

“Morning,” Liam lazily says with a smile, keeping his eyes closed.  Louis slides his body upward, leaving a quick kiss on Liam’s cheek.  “Thank you,” Liam mumbles, “do that again in five minutes.”

Shaking his head, he slides out of the bed and walks towards the window, pulling back the curtains to watch the sun rise.  It’s beautiful the way the sky turns from a dark blue to spots of orange and red in a matter of minutes, and Louis can’t help but look back at Liam, watching the colors of the sun highlight all of his features, kissing his body in ways Louis could never.

He leans his body against the window and looks down at the duffel bag Liam lent to him for the trip.  Louis kicks aside the shirt he’d draped over it a few hours before, revealing a large leather pouch full of cash that he’d left behind when he crashed his car—$25,867 to be exact.

It was by chance that Zayn managed to hear the call about an abandoned car in his Bronco, and Louis knew it could only be the one he'd been using when he arrived, having nearly forgotten about it since living with Liam.

Before any of the guys could notice, Louis jumped out of the car and ran as fast as he could, hoping the money he stashed in the glove compartment was still there.  He’d also taken Zayn’s utility knife, using it to cut out the embroidery of his family crest and scratch out the Brahmst-Oberlin Industries logo before the guys could catch up with him, erasing any trace of his former life.

Louis felt sick just looking at the car, but this money was going to restart everything.  He’ll find a place to live, help Liam expand his beach combing collection, and maybe even get a job under the table to keep his name clean.  Before Louis can think about anything else, a pillow lands by his feet, followed by Liam groaning across the room.

“Come back to bed,” Liam whines, his body lying face down on the bed.

Quickly covering the pouch, Louis picks up the pillow and runs back to Liam, lying beside him with his hand over the small of Liam’s back.  Liam turns his head and purses his lips at Louis, blowing him a kiss that makes his insides twist with joy, and goes back to sleep with a smile on his face.

—

Zayn honks the horn of his Bronco when he pulls up in front of Liam’s driveway, leaving Liam, Louis, and Harry to grab their bags before they all exchanged their goodbyes.  Harry greets Liam’s father when he comes out of the house, relieved that the boys all made it back in one piece.  After giving Geoff a hug, Harry walks just a few feet away to his home, digging under the potted plants of his front porch for a spare key.

“So, did you boys have a good time?” Geoff asks happily.

“Not just good, Dad, it was great!” Liam exclaims.  “Definitely the best weekend we’ve had so far.”

“And how about you, Louis?  Did you enjoy it, too?”

Louis grins at his question, knowing that Geoff had no idea what was about to hit him.  “I had a fantastic time!”  Liam slips his hand into Louis’s, and Geoff looks at them in shock before he exchanges his expression for a nod of approval.  “Liam and the guys really know how to have fun, I just hope we can do it again soon,” Louis bounces on his feet, and Liam can’t help but grin the entire time.

“Well, I’m glad they could do that for you, son!” Geoff replies with a hearty laugh.  “And I have to say it’s good to finally hear you.”

—

The digital clock next to Liam’s bed reads 12:06 AM and its red glow in the darkness holds Liam in a restless trance.  Liam’s first day of work starts tomorrow, but it’s technically an orientation—a four hour guided tour around Schreyer Craft Designs, followed by all the legal papers he’ll have to agree to before he can finally get his hands dirty.

As excited as he is, Liam can’t seem to shake the sick feeling in his stomach.  He sits up and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands.  He starts bouncing his legs, unknowingly making the lamp on his bedside table shake against the wall.  His head starts to feel dizzy and he runs to the window, opening it to breathe in the fresh air until he no longer feels sick.

The lamp on the back porch makes his toy wooden boats glow on the window sill, and he runs his finger along the hull of the boat he made when he brought Louis home, painted blue for the color of his eyes.  Liam’s father instilled the superstition into him that any fisherman with a nameless boat was considered bad luck, and Liam named his latest one after Louis, adding it to the others he named after his best friends.

Liam leans against the wall and crosses his arms, exhaling a long breath when he closes his eyes.  He just wanted to get as much sleep as he could, but now it seems like he won’t be able to get half an hour at this rate.  Out of frustration, Liam hits his head against the wall a few times, doing anything to lessen his nerves.

“Liam, are you okay?”

“Jesus!”  Liam backs into the corner, startled by Louis’s presence.  “I didn’t hear you come in,” he says, turning on his bedside lamp.

“Your door was open,” Louis says quietly.  “There were noises coming from your room and I thought someone might’ve broken in here.”

“No no, I was being stupid,” Liam sighs, rubbing his face with his hand, “I can’t sleep.”

“Is it about tomorrow?”  Liam nods and Louis approaches him, placing a hand on Liam’s arm.  “You’ll be fine, it’s just nerves.”

“I just really want to make an impression, you know?  I’m not even going to be doing actual work, but I keep thinking of all these scenarios of what will go wrong, like I’ll trip on something and destroy someone’s hull or break a mast or— _mmf?!_ ”

“Stop.  Talking.” Louis commands with his hand over Liam’s mouth.

Liam’s eyes are blown wide open and he stays still, unsure of what else Louis was going to do to him.  Liam’s breathing a little heavily, not from shock, but from the fact that Louis being in control of the situation is turning him on immensely.

“You’re overreacting and you need to stop thinking all those crazy things.  That’s the kind of stuff that gets you fired.”  Louis removes his hand and guides Liam towards his bed, making him sit down.

“Wh-What do you suggest I do?” Liam stammers, waiting for Louis’s next order.  “I’ve never had to deal with anything like this.”

Louis places his hands on Liam’s shoulders, lightly massaging them to get him to loosen up.  Liam bites his lip at the sensation, the feeling of Louis’s thumbs sinking above his collarbones were making him antsy for Louis to touch the rest of his body.

“Feel better now?” Louis asks softly.

“I feel like–” Liam swallows hard, letting out a shaky breath, “like you’ve done this before.”

Louis lets out a laugh, moving his hands from Liam’s shoulders to the back of his neck.  Liam closes his eyes, sighing from Louis’s fingers slowly pulsating around his neck and head.  He’s starting to feel relaxed, and he snakes his hands along the sides of Louis’s legs, bringing him closer when he cups the bottom of Louis’s ass.

“Now I know you’re not trying to get fresh with me,” Louis says jokingly, and massages Liam’s neck a little harder.  “I thought _you_ were the one who couldn’t sleep.”

“Absolutely restless,” Liam laughs.  “How do you expect me to sleep when you’re touching me like this?”

“Would you like me to keep going or should I stop while I’m ahead?”

“If you stop that means— _whoa!_ ” Liam’s taken aback when Louis pounces on him, and brackets Liam’s hips with his knees.  “I like you bossing me around,” he says with a lip bite, “it’s kind of hot.”

“I can get pretty rough when I need to,” Louis teases, taking off his t-shirt.  He leans over Liam’s shoulder and runs his fingernails along Liam’s back, making him groan with every scratch he makes.

Liam grazes his mouth over Louis’s stomach, his breath hot against the smooth skin in front of him.  Louis sits back and Liam slips his hand towards the back of Louis’s neck, bringing him in for a kiss.  Liam moans into Louis’s mouth, savoring the soft pillow-like feeling of Louis’s bottom lip when he sucks on it.

Liam runs his free hand down Louis’s inner thigh, softly caressing the skin towards Louis’s crotch from the inside of his boxers, and pulls away when Louis’s mouth goes still.  “What’s wrong?” he asks worriedly, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve never really done this before and I don’t think I’m doing any of it right.”

“What are you talking about?” Liam asks, surprised.  “Did you mean us kissing?”

“No!  I meant it wasn’t like this, I’ve never touched anybody–” Louis stops when he sees the confused look on Liam’s face, thinking he might be joking.  “I’ve said too much.  I shouldn’t have said it at all.”

Liam laughs, but quickly takes it back when Louis gives him a hurt expression.  “Louis, I swear I wasn’t making fun of you.  Are you saying you’re–”

“A virgin?” he interrupts with a venomous sting, climbing off of Liam.  “I think you already know the answer.  Have fun letting me know how pathetic I am for going nearly two and a half decades being sexually inept.”

Liam’s in shock over Louis’s confession, but he doesn’t care that Louis has yet to share his body with someone, he just wants to know why Louis is making such a big deal out of it.

“It’s not like we were going to go that far, I just wanted you to touch you!  What’s wrong with that?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Louis bites, quickly putting his t-shirt back on, “but I’m not about to have this conversation,” and walks away from Liam in a rush.

“Wait!” Liam squeaks, missing Louis’s arm when he reaches out for him. “Where are you going?”

“To bed, where else?”

“Are you leaving because you’re embarrassed?”

“You were expecting me to know what I was doing, but I don’t, Liam.  I can’t touch you the way I think I can.”

Liam protests, doing his best to convince Louis otherwise.  Louis is already headed towards the door when he turns his heel, and Liam stumbles trying to stop him.  Just when Liam thinks Louis is about to step out, he turns around and shoves Liam against the door, roughly kissing him.

Turned on by a dominant Louis, Liam grabs the back of Louis’s head and kisses him even harder, groaning when Louis’s fingers scratch down his back again.  They struggle to find an area to balance their bodies, crashing into the dresser and knocking over the chair to Liam’s desk where Louis sits on the edge, pulling Liam between his legs.  Liam breaks away and trails his mouth along Louis’s neck, rutting his hips against a breathless Louis.

“I want to give you what you need and everything you ask for,” Louis breathes out, cupping the back of Liam’s neck, “I just don’t know how.”

“But you _can_ , Louis, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Liam says assuringly, searching for Louis’s eyes.  “Having you here is all I need.”

Louis closes his eyes, his nervous breath escaping the mouth Liam wants all to himself.  “Liam, I want you to show me what it feels like to be with you.”

Liam excitedly puts his hands under Louis’s thighs, his body as light as a feather when Liam picks him up from the desk.  Louis yelps from Liam’s strength and kisses him, his arms clinging to Liam’s shoulders for support when he slowly walks back to the bed.  Liam loses his balance when he tries to sit down, falling backwards with Louis landing on top of him, and laughing hysterically as the nerves in his body slowly faded with every kiss from Louis’s lips.

—

Determined to make Liam his best for his orientation, Louis picks out a dark blue button-down shirt from Liam’s closet, starting from the last button and working his way up.  Liam begins to fidget, and Louis soon grows annoyed when Liam tries to button the top half of his shirt.

“Quit fussing, will you?  I’m trying to make you presentable.”  Louis smacks Liam’s hand away from him and Liam bites his lip, quickly kissing Louis on the lips when he’s finished.

Taking care of Liam was to be Louis’s priority for the day, and he started by secretly fiddling with Liam’s alarm clock while he slept—setting it for eight in the morning instead of his usual time of six—and cooked up a full, hearty breakfast that would leave Liam stuffed until lunch time.

“You look like a school boy dressed like this.  It’s very academic, I have to say.”

“Meet me in the boys locker room after football practice?” Liam raises a brow, pouting his lips.

“What kind of boy do you take me for?” Louis angrily pokes Liam’s chest, “I’d rather we met in the auditorium—give the people a good show.”

Liam bursts out laughing and Louis takes a step back watching Liam fix his hair.  He’s utterly enamored at how refined Liam looks when he spritzes his short waves into a manageable style, making him look like a completely different person.

Louis blows his fringe out of his eye, realizing its length is turning into some sort of bushy mullet he won’t be able to manage any longer.  He’s never grown his hair out this long before, but it didn’t seem to affect Liam from running his hands through it when they kissed for nearly two hours last night.

“Louis, you there?” Liam calls, waving his hand in front of a daydreaming Louis to get his attention.  “Do I look okay?” Liam asks worriedly.

“You look like you’re ready to build some boats,” Louis grins, taking Liam by the hand out of his bedroom and towards the front door.

Geoff sits on the steps of the porch with a mug of coffee in one hand and a gardening magazine in the other.  He sets them aside when Liam jumps in front of him, and a proud grin emerges from his face when he gives Liam a hug, wishing him good luck.

“Dad, it’s just an orientation, it’s not even real work yet,” Liam says embarrassed.

“Doesn’t mean we still can’t be proud!” he replies, ruffling the back of Liam’s head a bit.  “I just wish your mother was here to see this, she’d be crying her eyes out.”

“Don’t let her know how nervous I am,” Liam laughs sheepishly, and Louis’s heart breaks when he sees the tears welling in Liam’s eyes.

Geoff gives Liam another hug, a little more fatherly this time, and Louis can’t help but notice Liam sniffling and wiping his tears when he turns away.  Louis does his best to keep a smile on his face, and walks with Liam to his truck when Geoff goes back into the house.

“I’m so nervous,” Liam sniffles again.  “I don’t think I’ll make it through the front door without throwing up.”

“I practically made out with you until you fell asleep last night and you’re _still_ freaking out?  Snap out of it!” Louis says sternly, putting his hands on his hips.

“Do you think I can get a voice recording of you bossing me around?  It might help me through the day.”

Louis lets out an amused laugh and stands on his tiptoes, giving Liam a quick peck on the lips before sending him off.  They wave at each other when Liam backs out of the driveway, and Louis feels a calming sense of relief, knowing Liam would do great at his orientation, maybe even make a new friend.

Coming back into the house, Louis makes his way to the kitchen, searching for a drinking glass when Geoff shuffles into the room.

“Louis, do you have a minute?” Geoff asks over his shoulder when he cleans his mug.

“Yeah, of course!  What's up?"

“I’m sure you already know that Liam and I love that you’ve become an integral part of this house, we really do,” Geoff smiles, then pauses, thinking of what else he needs to say.  “I normally leave Liam to his devices when it comes to his personal affairs, but I think there’s something you need to know.”

Louis tightly grips his glass waiting for Geoff to finish his sentence.  His heart pounds out of his chest and Louis thinks, for the second time, that he’ll be thrown out of the house.  He fears Geoff is ashamed of him for getting frisky with Liam in broad daylight and that he’s got less than four hours to scram before Liam gets back.

But thankfully, Geoff has something else on his mind.

“Liam will probably tell you this at a later time, but I think it’s safe to say how much happier you’ve made him since he met you.  I haven’t seen him smile this much for quite some time, and it’s nice to see it again.”

Louis might’ve been punched in the stomach the way he laughs in relief.  “Oh, this is great!  So great!” Louis squeals, much to Geoff’s amusement.  Louis gets the same fatherly hug that was given to Liam, and he can’t help but grin until his cheeks hurt, the closure he feels knowing he’ll be with Liam just a little longer.

—

Taking in deep breaths, Liam sits in his truck parked under a shady spot, biting his nails while his stomach churns uncontrollably.  “It’s just an orientation, it’s no big deal,” he tells himself, but he can’t help but feel sick about the entire ordeal.  Glancing at his watch, Liam has about twenty minutes before he’s supposed to check in, but even then it feels more like an hour the longer he sits and waits for time to pass.

“You know what—I’ll go.  I’ll fucking go.”  Liam unbuckles his seat belt, and takes the keys out of the ignition, but still remains inside.  “No, I won’t go—okay, _yes_ , I will go,” he says, gripping the door handle, and groans in frustration when he pounds his fists over the steering wheel.  Someone, particularly Louis, needs to tell him to get his ass out of the car before he messes up an opportunity of a lifetime.

Liam’s startled when his phone chimes twice from the back pocket of his jeans.  It’s a message from both Harry and Zayn, wishing him good luck on his first day.  His phone chimes again with a photo from Niall, showing himself and the boys in his house, giving the camera a thumbs up.

**From: Niall**  
 _rude boy!  u left before we could surprise ya!_  
 _ur dad’s trying to kick us out so he can sleep haha zzzzzzz_  
 _have a video of Louis!_

Niall sends the attachment and Liam taps the preview, excitedly waiting for it to load.  The first frame shows Louis sitting on the couch with his hands under his legs, his shoulders hunched with a huge smile on his face.  Liam hits the play button and the video starts with Louis waving, then laughing when Harry and Zayn pop into the frame, making faces at the camera.

“ _Guys, you’re in the shot!  Get out!_ ”  Niall kicks his foot out at Harry and Zayn who giggle as they scurry away.  “ _Okay, Louis, go!_ ”

“ _Hi, Liam!_   _I know you’re nervous, but me and the guys want you to know that we love you, and we hope you have fun at your orientation.  You’ll do great!_ ”  Louis nods when he’s finished, then gives a wink to the camera before the video cuts off.

Tapping on the keyboard, Liam sends his response to Niall ( _thanks u guys!!  drinky drink after!_ ) and tucks his phone away into his jeans.  Liam checks his watch one more time and takes another deep breath before he finally gets out, letting out as much nervous energy as he could now that his friends made him feel fifty times better than he did ten minutes ago.

He makes his way through the parking lot to the medium-sized boatyard of Schreyer Craft Designs.  Liam doesn’t exactly know where to go, but follows a few people around when he sees them walking up a staircase into a two-story office nearby.  The receptionist, a young girl named Katie, guides Liam to a waiting room with four other people who he figures must be his new fellow coworkers.

A few minutes later, a tall curly-haired woman wearing a gray work suit and high heels steps out, ushering the group into a small conference room with eight black leather seats around a large glass table full of donuts, hot coffee, and other refreshments.  Liam thinks the woman could be just a few years older than he is, but guessing someone’s age was never his strongest point anyway.

The woman introduces herself as Jamie, the daughter of Jacob Shreyer, the boatyard's original owner who had retired just a few years back.  Preferring to be called ‘Miss Schreyer’, she comes off as friendly, but shows no mercy in regards to business dealings, telling the group her high expectations in building the best boats money can offer.

“There’s only a handful of employees that work for this company because we believe in hiring the best, and if any of you even remotely mess up a steering wheel,” she looks around the room, her stare so frightening Liam thought he’d turn to stone, “your ass is out of here.”

Liam and his group spend the next two hours watching videos on work safety, and Liam starts to drift off at one point, no thanks to the room being completely dark.  His head bobs during a video regarding proper handling of chemical agents, only to be saved when his coworker accidentally kicks his chair, leaving him awake for the remainder of the video.

Miss Schreyer takes the group for a quick tour around the large hangar behind the office building, showing them the different areas where they’ll be working, the endless drawers of tools, and the slipway just outside into a small body of water where they can test and repair the boats they’ve built.

“You’re probably wondering why the hangar is empty,” Miss Schreyer says pointedly.  “Our team finished building three boats a few weeks ago, and for every boat you finish, you get two weeks off for your efforts—paid, of course!  The team you’ll be working with have a few more days until they come back, and by then you will already have a good feel for the place without making an ass of yourselves.”

After the tour, Miss Schreyer has the group take a half-hour lunch break, providing sandwiches to the group from the nearby market.  Liam takes a cold cut sandwich, only to be disappointed that it wasn’t made by the people at Harry’s deli.  But with a growling stomach, Liam has no choice but to eat his lifeless bread and meat.  Midway through eating, he decides to call up the house and see how Louis is doing.

“Hi, Liam!” Louis says happily, “How’s your orientation going?”

“We’re on break now, but I accidentally nodded off during the safety videos.”

“You were actively napping on the job?  There goes half your salary,” Louis tuts.

“I was awake during the tour!  Give me some credit for that,” Liam says jokingly.  “I’m having lunch now but I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Aw, you big softie,” Louis coos, and Liam doesn’t need to see Louis to know he’s blushing.  “You’ll be home soon, won’t you?  Niall and the guys won’t leave until you to try the food they made for you.  Your dad threatened to throw them out and yet…” Louis pauses, making a noise of defeat.

“No surprise there, I knew he wouldn’t keep his promise,” Liam says blankly, and Louis laughs amused.  “Niall’s been really clingy with you lately, are you deliberately trying to make Zayn jealous?”

“Most certainly!  We’ve been slowly poisoning the food you and Zayn will be eating so we can elope to Las Vegas.  We’re quite clever, me and Niall.”

Liam snorts when he laughs, his sandwich nearly falling to the ground when he tries to cover his mouth.  Not that he’d be disappointed if it did.  He can hear Zayn and Harry arguing in the background, and he groans asking Louis to try and break it up.

“Hey Louis, get off the phone and make out with me,” Niall says into the receiver.

“Ooh, you know, that sounds really tempting,” Louis says with a hint of excitement, “but I’m in the middle of a phone sex session with Liam.  I can’t possibly do two things at once, my love.”

“That’s okay, he can beat off in the bathroom listening to us!”

“Wha—I’m not in the bathroom!” Liam squeaks, “Niall!  You stay away from Louis, you heathen!”

“Niall, your lips are so soft,” Louis moans, his breath stuttering.  “Oh!  Oh, just right there, you make that feel so good, I want it all the time.”

“Be a good boy and tell me I do this better than Liam,” Niall says in a husky tone, “Zayn and I can show you things Liam hasn’t even bothered to think of.”

“Louis, no!  I thought you wanted me, how can you do this!”  Liam continues shouting, pleading with them to stop, and nearly cries from embarrassment when they laugh at him for giving in to their blatantly obvious joke.

“Remind me to smack you when I get home, Niall!” Liam growls under his breath.

“I look forward to it!”

—

Over the next few days, Louis starts sprucing up the house, and it doesn’t seem as bleak to Liam after years of leaving things the way they were since his mother’s death.  On one dark and overcast Sunday morning, he’s surprised when he finds the refrigerator fully stocked with groceries, mistakenly assuming his father bought them until Louis proves otherwise.

“Welcome to your new fridge!  It’s got all your favorite goodies to cook up those dishes I love so much,” Louis grins, bouncing on his feet.  “I bought every possible ingredient you could need, the checkout lady was amused at my shopping cart when it was my turn to pay, it was just overflowing with things.”

Louis makes no effort to hide his reddened cheeks when he says this, and it makes Liam exceptionally giddy that Louis had gone through all that trouble just to make him happy.

What surprises Liam the most are the sudden appearance of apothecary jars around the living room, showcasing his beach combing treasures.  Liam had vaguely mentioned to Louis when they first met that he kept his findings in a box under his bed, and he’s touched that Louis remembered it after all this time.

“My mom would love this if she were here,” Liam says fondly, holding onto both of Louis’s hands.  “But I love it even more because you did this for me.”

At one point, Liam and Geoff secretly discuss Louis’s cash flow, wondering how he can afford their new luxuries despite staying at home all the time.  Liam doesn’t want to be the one to force Louis to get a job, and he certainly doesn’t want Louis to think of himself as a ‘househusband’.  Although the concept of being married at their age amuses Liam.

After much thought, Liam and his father ultimately decide to keep their questions to themselves out of respect for Louis, knowing it was none of their business and for fear of embarrassing him.  If this is Louis’s way of helping, then Liam will let him do as he pleases.

But Liam doesn’t want Louis’s efforts to go unnoticed, of course, and he thanks Louis whenever he can in the form of written love notes in Louis’s journals and intense make out sessions before bed.  These little acts make Louis fall for Liam even harder, and it only makes Liam hold onto Louis that much tighter when they sleep at night.

—

After two consecutive weeks of back breaking work, Liam finally gets the weekend off and plans on spending it with Louis.  He’s planning to surprise Louis by taking him out on a day at sea and hopefully, with all fingers crossed, none of his friends will show up and ruin their first date.

(It embarrassed Liam how much his father urged him to take Louis on a proper date, only made worse when his best friends joined in on the heckling—most of it coming from Niall.  Liam thinks Niall might snatch Louis away from him, despite Zayn’s efforts to let Liam know it’s nothing to worry about.  But with the way Niall practically clings to Louis during his and Zayn’s nightly visits, it’s _a lot_ to worry about at this point.)

At the docks of Woolston Marina, Liam’s holding onto a blindfolded Louis with one hand, and a basket of food in another. He’s careful to guide Louis around, making sure he doesn’t trip or fall into the water before they can even start the day.

“How much longer do I have to wear this?” Louis asks, gripping Liam’s hand for dear life.

“We’re almost there, don’t worry.”

“Got a blindfold fetish, do you?” he teases, but Liam simply laughs and holds onto Louis a little tighter.

Liam spots the powered pocket cruiser he’s borrowing just a few feet away, easily identified by its red and black paint job.  It’s a lot bigger than the deck boat Zayn got to drive a few weeks ago, complete with a cabin and a queen-sized bed for him and Louis to share.  If everything goes accordingly, Liam plans on using that bed with Louis for things _other_ than napping.

Paying no attention to the strange looks he's getting from bystanders, Liam gets Louis to stand next to the boat, quickly jumping over to set the food down and donning the skipper hat he’s had since he was thirteen.  He steps back onto the dock within seconds, and gives Louis a quick kiss when he’s ready.

“Okay, take off your blindfold!”

Louis wiggles his thumb under the bandana tied over his eyes, slowly removing it to sit over his messy hair.  Liam holds his arm out and grins a goofy kind of grin, presenting the sleekest boat Louis has ever seen, and finds its name pretty clever: _The Bento Box_.  Liam bounces at Louis’s expression of amazement, and helps him climb on deck.

“This is way nicer than the one we were on a few weeks ago!” Louis says in awe, admiring the roof over their heads.  “How did you even get this?”

“A nice man my dad knows is letting me borrow it for the day and I figured we could use it to spend some time together for our first date.   _Alone_ , I mean.”

“Liam, this is the sweetest thing you’ve done!  Gosh, how am I going to top this when I take you out?” Louis says sheepishly with flushed cheeks.

“I did it for us, since we’ve never even been on one.  I wanted it to be special.”

Louis covers his mouth with his hands, then exchanges it for an excited laugh and gives Liam a surprise kiss.  “What do you have planned for us, captain?” he asks flirtatiously.  “You look incredibly savory in your hat, by the way.  I’ve always liked a man in uniform.”

“Louis, _stop_ ,” Liam blushes hard, and he backs away, picking up the basket of food.  “I thought I’d drive this baby out for a bit, and park it where no one named Niall or Zayn will barge in on us doing private things.”

“Niall is a curious bunny, isn’t he?  He and Zayn hump like them, too.  And frequently.”

Liam lets out a laugh, then shows Louis the small cabin where they’ll be spending a majority of their time.  He briefly turns away to set down the basket, only to find Louis out of sight.  Liam immediately runs out, looking over the edge thinking Louis had gone overboard, but the water remains calm, and it confuses him even further when he hears hissing noises behind him.

Liam turns his head and the sight of Louis lying on his stomach over the roof takes him by surprise.  Louis beckons Liam with his index finger, stifling his laughter when he steals Liam’s hat and puts it on his own head.  Liam’s got his hands on his hips with a frown on his face, but it’s gone within seconds when Louis kisses him, prompting Liam to stand on his tiptoes for once.

“Feels nice to be a little taller,” Louis giggles, sticking his tongue out before he climbs down.

Once Liam safely backs the boat out of the dock and away from the marina, he accelerates its speed towards the sea where Matteo County will soon fade into a blip in the distance.  Midway through their trek, Louis joins Liam in the separate cabin where he’s driving, and wraps his arms around Liam’s waist from behind, cuddling him like a teddy bear for the rest of the ride.

—

An hour later in the cabin, a shirtless Louis is sitting on the bed wearing the blindfold again, and Liam binds his arms with the spare ropes he found lying around.  Liam secures the end of the rope with a complicated boating knot, one that Louis unsuccessfully tries to escape.  When Louis stops trying to break free, Liam feeds him the food he brought along for the ride, little bite-sized samples that he can use for a bit of teasing.

Liam starts with the savory treats first, but Louis soon grows thirsty, asking Liam for water when he can no longer handle the taste of cheese and salty products.  Once Louis gets his fill, Liam purposely pours the water over Louis’s chest, licking the beads that rolled off his body, and still refuses to release Louis from his bondage when he begs to touch him.

“You can’t tease me like this, Liam, you just can’t!” Louis growls, “You'll regret tying me up to have your way.”

“Is that right?” Liam snickers, licking a stripe up Louis’s adam’s apple, “I’m not done with you just yet.”

When Liam draws on Louis’s lips with a strawberry, he realizes Louis is playing with him, deliberately sucking on the fruit and moaning before he took a bite.  Louis does it again when Liam feeds him a maraschino cherry, licking its sugary-sweet syrup with the tip of his tongue, and letting the rest drip from his mouth when he eats the bright red fruit.  Liam licks off the remaining syrup from Louis’s neck, then kisses him while slowly releasing Louis from his bindings.

Finally free, the tables are turned when Louis puts the blindfold on Liam, and places two of his fingers in Liam’s mouth.  Louis keeps them still, and Liam bobs his head a little, slowly sucking on the delicate fingers that were in control of every part of his body.

“Such a good boy you are,” Louis croons when he takes his fingers back.

Louis slides off and unbuckles Liam’s belt, surprising Liam when he easily pops open the button of his jeans.  He reaches inside of Liam’s boxers, making Liam squirm when he briefly palms at Liam’s cock with his warm hand.  Louis tugs on the elastic band of Liam’s underwear, slowly pulling them down with his jeans, and sucks at the skin where Liam’s abdomen ends.  Liam arches his back and grips Louis’s hair, breathless at the new sensation no one ever thought to give him.  Louis lets out a loud smack with his lips when he’s finished, grinning at the dark red mark left on Liam’s body.

Louis climbs over Liam and removes the blindfold, leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw before Liam flips him over and pins his hands over his head.  Liam moves Louis’s glass float necklace aside, sucking on the skin of his neck until Louis pleads for him to stop when it starts to hurt.

“You know, even though you’ve gone and made me look like a leper, I’d love to thank you properly.”

“Oh?  How so?” Liam asks surprised.

“I was hoping I could… you know…”

Liam props himself up, and Louis catches him off-guard by grabbing his crotch, making him gasp.  Louis lets out an evil cackle, then bites his lip when he starts palming at Liam’s half-hard cock again, making him slump over and rut his hips into Louis’s hand, his forearms shaking to keep himself upright.

“Let me do this for you, Liam,” Louis whispers, “I want to try it.”

Liam rolls on his back, wiggling himself out of his jeans, and secretly enjoys the look of awe on Louis’s face when he sees his fully erect cock.  Before Liam can say anything, Louis licks a stripe to the underside of his cock, and Liam yelps, covering his mouth as if anyone else was around to hear it—they were in the middle of the ocean, for god’s sake.

Liam begs Louis to do it again, but he goes slower, and Liam’s eyes roll to the back of his head from Louis’s slick tongue.  Louis’s inexperience is a new sensation, and Liam can’t stop thinking about how much he really likes the feeling of Louis’s mouth on his cock, the way he’s so careful not to take in too much, or how his hands twist and turn to keep him on edge.  Liam’s speechless when Louis tries to take him in a little further, but Liam begs him to stop, worried Louis will be doing too much when he’s barely getting started.

Liam accidentally bangs his head against the wall when Louis swirls his tongue around the head of his cock.  Louis gets a good rhythm going, bobbing his head slowly and hollowing his cheeks when Liam tells him.  Liam’s body starts to shake when Louis looks up at him, and Liam loses it, coming so hard it takes him several minutes to recuperate.

“God, are you sure you’ve never done that before?” Liam asks, still panting from post-orgasmic pleasure.  Louis shakes his head, rubbing his sore lips with his hand.  “That was very much my first performance with an enthusiastic crowd,” Louis laughs.  “I’m more than happy to try it again at your discretion.”

Liam wipes the sheen of sweat from his forehead and rolls Louis over on his back, kissing down his stomach to get him ready.  “I’ve done this a few times and I promise I’m not upstaging you by returning the favor,” Liam raises a brow, wetting his lips.

“I hope you make good on that,” Louis taunts with a smirk on his face.  Liam immediately puts his warm mouth over Louis’s cock, making all the promises Louis’s trembling body wants him to keep.

—

One lazy evening after work, Liam and Louis are surprised to find Niall, Zayn, and Harry at the house with boxes of pizza for dinner.  Niall excitedly tells Liam it’s for all the hard work he’s done since he started his apprenticeship, and insisted on buying the food to celebrate instead of eating leftovers.

“I haven’t even built half a boat yet, what’s this even about!”

“But you _are_ building one, aren’t you?” Harry slyly remarks.

Liam ruffles his curls and they all dig in, passing around the greasy slices of pepperoni and cheese pizza.  Louis excuses himself at one point, and Liam notices he seems anxious, but the thought doesn’t last very long when he and Harry begin fighting over who would get the last cheesy breadstick.  They settle the score by playing two out of three rounds of rock paper scissors, and Harry playfully snips Liam’s hand with his fingers when he wins.

Niall hands out ice cream drumsticks for dessert, and Liam realizes Louis has been gone longer than expected, leaving to check on him.  He can hear Louis whispering when he gets to his door, as if he were having a conversation with someone else in the room.  Liam takes a peek and finds Louis using the house phone with a finger covering his ear.  Liam doesn’t want to eavesdrop, but puts his ear to the door anyway.

“ _Aunt Anais? Everything’s okay.  I still have the money I took out before I left, it should last several months._ ”

Liam recalls the day Louis checked out of the hospital, claiming there was no one he could call that would keep him safe, and yet Louis is speaking to a woman he’s never mentioned.  And in terms of Louis’s money, Liam knows it’s none of his business, considering his salary is enough to keep up with his school payments.

“ _I’ve made some really great friends, and the person I live with… we take care of each other,_ ” Louis says sweetly.  “ _Oh, Liam’s so wonderful!  He makes me so happy.  I really wish you could meet him, he’s the perfect gentleman._ ”

Grinning from ear to ear, Liam’s heart melts hearing Louis talk about him that way.  If he could, Liam would tell Aunt Anais that being with Louis is possibly the greatest feeling in the world, and he wouldn’t settle for anything less.  Liam believes Louis is the partner he’s meant to have, but didn’t know he’d been looking for this whole time.

Louis goes silent for a while and Liam straightens up, lightly knocking on the door.  “Louis, you all right?  Niall’s got dessert for us,” he says, waiting for Louis’s reply.

“I’ll be right there!” Louis says out loud, then whispers, “ _I have to go now, I’ll call you back when I can._ ”

A few seconds later, the door swings open and Louis jumps back at the sight of Liam.  “Jeez, you scared me!” he laughs, only to yelp when Liam picks him up and pins him against the wall for a kiss.  Louis wraps his legs around Liam’s waist, softly moaning when Liam rocks his hips into him.

“What’s gotten into you?” Louis asks breathlessly, but Liam doesn’t answer, preferring to suck on the crook of his neck instead.  “Are you really this horny over dessert?” he jokingly asks, and Liam chuckles, bringing Louis to his feet.

Louis leads the way and struts down the hall with Liam in tow, finding a mousy Niall peeking over the wall when they’re just about to enter the living room.  Liam watches in confusion when Louis caresses Niall’s jaw with his hand and whispers in his ear, making Niall’s cheeks turn a flush shade of pink when they walk away.

“What was that about?” Liam asks, confused.  “I swear you’re always in cahoots with Niall!”

“Cahoots!” Louis laughs, amused.  “Don’t worry, I promise our nefarious plan of running away won’t hurt you.”

Louis’s sarcastic reply doesn’t answer his question, but Liam shrugs it off, and happily eats the drumstick Niall left for him.  It’s only slightly melty, but still firm enough that it held its shape when he bit into the chocolate shell.  A minute later, Liam’s finished half the drumstick, and eats the rest when he heads to the kitchen to clean off the mess he’s made on his hands.

“Fuck you, I had the remote first!” Harry screams at the top of his lungs.

“And you still haven’t found anything to watch!” Zayn screams back.

Liam runs back to the living room to find Harry in a chokehold by Zayn, struggling to get the remote control for himself.  Niall covers his face, embarrassed, and both Liam and Louis try to stop the fight before Harry nearly suffocates from the lack of air.

“Stop fighting!  If you destroy anything I’ll strangle both of you!” Liam barks, avoiding Harry’s flailing legs.

“I want that fucking remote and I want it now!” Zayn shrieks.

Harry’s got the remote in his hand and his thumb hits various buttons, changing the channels at a rapid speed until it stops on the local hourly newscast.  Zayn loses his balance and elbows Harry’s back, and his hand smacks into the coffee table with the remote’s volume button turning the tv up to its highest setting before it tumbles under the couch.

_The missing shareholder of Brahmst-Oberlin Industries—_

“NO!” Louis screams, but it’s not enough to drown out Zayn and Harry’s shrieking match.

_Ben Winston, chief financial officer of Winston Enterprises, is hopeful the merger will continue—_

“No, not you!  You spineless bastard how dare you speak for me!” he screams again.  Niall tries to drag him away from the tv, but Louis breaks free, searching under the couch for the remote.

“ _I am confident we will find Louis Tomlinson, there is no doubt about that._ ”

Liam finally breaks up the fight, and catches a glimpse of someone familiar on the tv screen when he turns around, only to find a slightly bearded executive speaking to the cameras.

 _“Any leads to his whereabouts are always welcome, as his participation is crucial.  Very. crucial.  I cannot stress that enough as his family awaits his return._ ”

“Turn it off!  Turn it the fuck off!” Louis falls over when he pushes the couch across the room, and Liam runs to him, holding Louis to keep him from doing anymore harm.

Louis sobs into Liam’s shoulder, his body shaking despite Liam rubbing his back to calm him down.  He can hear Louis speaking, tearfully begging for the tv to be turned off.  Niall quickly crawls on the floor to grab the remote, turning off the screen and hides behind Zayn.

“I didn’t mean to yell,” he weakly whispers.  “I didn’t mean it, I just wanted it to stop.”

Liam brings a weak Louis to his feet, guiding him to the bathroom.  He leans Louis against the counter and wets a clean washcloth with cold water, dabbing it over Louis’s eyes to cool him down.  Louis stays still for a while until his breathing goes back to normal, then reaches for Liam’s hand.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Liam gently asks.

Louis shakes his head and holds onto Liam’s hand just a little tighter.  “You don’t always have to rescue me, you know.”

“I don’t mind doing it.  What good would I be if I didn’t help?”

“You’re plenty good just being yourself, I know that much.”

Liam smiles and fixes Louis’s messy hair, pushing aside the fringe that fell in front of his reddened eyes.  Louis puts his arms around Liam’s shoulders, bringing him in for a kiss until a tap is heard at the door, and Niall pokes his head inside.

“Louis, are you okay?” he asks, frightened.

“I’m fine,” Louis smiles, “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Niall runs to Louis, giving him a kiss on the lips that baffles Liam, but he doesn’t question it, knowing Niall only wants to comfort Louis.

“You’re not mad at Zayn and Harry, are you?” he asks, then whispers inaudibly, their faces so close that Liam thinks they might be kissing again. “They were being assholes and I didn’t do anything to stop it but I should have known better—”

“I overreacted, Niall, it’s not your fault,” Louis whispers, nuzzling Niall’s nose.

Niall breathes out a sigh of relief and Zayn shouts when he barges through the door, wrapping his arms around Niall and Louis, apologizing profusely for his stupidity.  Liam leans against the wall with a smile, and laughs when Harry appears in the doorway, pouting his lips and holding his arms out for a hug.

An hour after the guys had all gone home, Louis climbs into bed with Liam, lying together for several minutes.  Louis’s body stiffens when Liam tries to kiss him, and he holds back, sensing Louis just wants to be held.  Despite claiming nothing was wrong, Liam remains worried, and asks Louis if there was anything he could do to help, and most of all, keep him safe.

Louis doesn't answer and Liam softly traces the contours of Louis's eyebrows and cheekbones with his thumb.  His eyes aren’t as red and puffy as before, but there's a slight warmth lingering when Liam places a kiss on Louis's temple.

"Perhaps later I can tell you what's been bothering me," Louis says with his eyes closed, tapping his fingers over Liam's chest.  "But right now, I just want you, Liam.  Only you.”

—

Slowly walking down the sidewalk, Louis holds on to a paper bag with two salads, a dessert bowl, and bottles of water from the farm stand not too far from Liam’s house.  He’s also reading a flyer advertising a studio apartment complete with a bathroom, kitchenette, and full utilities.  Louis’s been thinking about getting a place of his own, and this studio doesn’t sound too bad from the looks of it.

But then he feels a thump in his chest, thinking about how he’ll break the news to Liam and Geoff if he goes through with it.  Neither of them have bothered to ask how he can suddenly afford to buy so many things around the house, but Louis knows they’re curious, and he won’t know how to answer them the day they finally ask where all his money is coming from.

“Jeez, what a nightmare,” Louis says under his breath, stuffing the flyer into the paper bag.

He walks towards a bench under a large tree, setting the bag beside him while he waits for the bus.  He’s off to visit Liam at work before his lunch break, hoping to surprise him with some fresh food to eat since Liam woke up late and didn’t bring anything with him.  He digs into his jeans for his bus fare and barely takes out a quarter when a car zooms past him, its horn beeping twice when it backs up to where he sits.

“Hi Louis!” a familiar voice calls out to him.  Louis immediately looks up and finds Niall excitedly waving at him from the passenger side of Zayn’s Bronco.

“Need a ride, dude?” Zayn asks, leaning over the steering wheel.

“Um, yeah!  If it’s not too much trouble?”

“Of course not, hop in!” Zayn exclaims, and Niall opens his door, sliding closer to Zayn for Louis to sit shotgun.

Louis grabs his paper bag and makes his way towards the car, and his stomach drops when he recognizes two silver Mercedes Benzes driving past the Bronco.  Their license plates bear the distinct red and white markings of Winston Enterprises and Louis is frozen where he stands, waiting for them to keep driving and never come back.

“Hey, you all right?”  Niall waves his hand to get Louis’s attention.  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Yeah!  Yeah, I’m fine, I got distracted for a second,” Louis blinks and shakes his head, looking around for any more of those same cars that might pass before he settles into his seat.

“All right, so where are you headed?” Zayn asks.

“The boatyard where Liam works, it’s maybe twenty minutes away?  The bus would have taken at least forty-five minutes to get there.”

Zayn and Niall gasp in unison, excitedly looking at each other before they look back at a confused Louis.  “Getting some lunchtime booty, are you?” Zayn teases, making Louis blush and stutter.  “I’m just messing with you,” he laughs, starting the ignition.  “We need to make a quick stop at the post office before we get there, it shouldn’t take too long.”

Despite chatting with Niall and Zayn during the car ride, Louis becomes hyperaware of the surrounding cars, frightened that one of them would crash into the Bronco when they weren’t looking, and take him back home.  He can’t bear the thought of leaving everything behind when all he wants to do is get to Liam, knowing he’ll feel safer once they’re together.

They reach the post office a few minutes later and Niall runs inside with a package, leaving Zayn and Louis alone in the car.

“You know that I know Niall is kind of in love with you, right?” Zayn asks with a smile.  Louis stammers, unsure of how to answer him, but Zayn giggles and pats him on the shoulder.  “I’ll be honest, it’s kind of cute how excited he gets just mentioning your name.”

“Zayn, I _swear_ we are just playing around when we talk, Niall would never leave you for me,” Louis says with a worried expression.  Despite Zayn’s burst of laughter, Louis forces himself to laugh with him, but remains on guard if Zayn decides to brandish one of his utility knives to cut him up to pieces before Niall gets back.

“Just listen to what I’m saying, Louis— _I’m hardly jealous_.  Niall’s not doing this to get me worked up or anything,” Zayn shrugs with a goofy grin, “he just wants your attention and he likes playing with you.  I mean, he does the same with me too, although a little more aggressively in bed.”

“Oh,” Louis quietly says, “so…you’re not mad at me?”

“If I were fourteen I’d probably pick a fight.  But at twenty-four, there’s hardly anything to fight about,” Zayn shakes his head, laughing a little at the situation.  “I trust Niall and he trusts me, that’s how we make this work.  At the end of the day, I know I’ll still love him as much as I did the moment we first met.”

—

_Liam to the front office, please.  Liam to the front office._

Katie’s voice echoes throughout the boatyard on the PA system, and after asking for permission to leave, Liam’s supervisor gives him the okay.  Liam sets his tools aside, wiping the sweat from his forehead and taking off his dust mask when he leaves the hangar to head to the office.  He unties the flannel shirt from his waist and puts it over his tank top before he runs up the stairs, and greets both Katie and Miss Schreyer when he finally enters.

“Ah, Liam!  There you are,” she smiles, filing away several manila folders into a filing cabinet.  “A friend of yours is here to see you today.”

“It’s not my friend Harry, is it?” he asks with a raised brow.  “I’m surprised he’s taken a break from yelling at his coworkers about the meat slicer.”

“Come now, it’s not Harry,” Miss Schreyer chuckles, leading Liam to the office’s conference room.  Liam’s still confused about who could be visiting him, considering he’s never asked his friends to do so (not to say they’re not welcome), but then Miss Schreyer opens the door and Liam’s eyes light up at the sight in front of him.

“Louis!” he squeals, running to give him a hug.  “What are you doing here, how did—”

“Zayn and Niall dropped me off,” Louis replies with a smile, then turns around to show him a paper bag.  “I was hoping we could do lunch and your boss has been kind enough to let you go early.”

Liam raises his eyebrows and faces Miss Schreyer, who gives him a smile and motions with her head for the two boys to leave.  “Just make sure you clock out!” she yells when Liam excitedly runs out of the room with Louis, “And come back in an hour!”

Liam comes to a halt in front of Katie, where he runs around her desk and uses the computer behind her to clock out for his break.

“So, who’s your friend, Liam?” she asks, spinning around in her office chair.

“His name’s Louis.  We met on the beach.”

“That’s a lovely place to meet people, isn’t it?  Very interesting characters.”

“Well, _yes_ , it’s like that in a lot of places,” he says, trying not to show his irritation for small talk.

“I’ve gotta say, he looks familiar, like I’ve seen him on tv or something.  Is he an actor?”

“He’s… a house sitter,” Liam shifts his eyes between Katie and Louis, unsure of how else to disguise the fact that Louis was a casualty of the sea.  “He just has one of those faces, I guess.”

“Oh, definitely!  But I swear I’ve seen him before, he’s really very handsome,” she looks at Liam with a half smile, then shrugs when she can think of anything else to say.  “Oh well, maybe he just looks like someone I know.  Have a good lunch!”

Liam nods and takes Louis by the hand, running down the stairs and towards the back of the parking lot where Liam’s truck is located.  Liam can’t control his excitement over Louis’s visit that he presses Louis against the passenger door, slotting his legs between Louis’s own.  Liam rests his hands on Louis’s waist before he slides them down over his ass, squeezing his rotund buttcheeks the harder they kiss.

Liam lifts the leg under Louis’s crotch, lightly rubbing it as Louis moans into his mouth.  “You getting hard for me?” Liam asks, but Louis pushes him away to stop.  “Liam, don’t.  As much as I want you to keep going, I don’t want us to be seen.”

“ _I don’t care_ ,” he growls, “everyone can watch as far as I’m concerned.”

“No, come on, let’s take this somewhere else.”

Liam gives a hurt expression, pouting sadly when steps aside to open the door for Louis.  He then runs around to his side of the truck and quickly settles in, taken by surprise when Louis climbs over him and grabs the back of his head, roughly kissing him for several minutes.

Louis begins grinding his hips into Liam, making the truck rock and squeak.  As good as this feels, Liam can’t help but think someone is going to catch them, and it’s probably going to be Zayn and Niall getting their revenge on him for the time he interrupted them at the station the day Louis showed up.

The intensity of their make out session matches the rising temperature outside, heating up both the car and their kisses.  With his lips still locked on Louis, Liam turns on the ignition, and blindly searches for the dials of the air conditioner to cool them down.

Liam barely gets his hands under Louis’s ass when he breaks away, hearing the voice of his supervisor just around the corner.  Panicking, Louis immediately climbs off of Liam and lies down with his legs over Liam’s crotch.  Liam puts the car in reverse and zooms out of the lot, racing towards the park further up the road as Louis laughs his head off for the entire ride.

They’re sitting across from each other on a cement bench several minutes later, and Liam’s excited when Louis hands him a large plastic tub of food and an ice cold water bottle.  He opens it up, finding it full of grilled chicken, mixed greens, roasted corn, and an unfamiliar salad dressing in a smaller container.

“I bought these at the farm stand near your house,” Louis says with a smile, opening his own tub.  “I figured you’d be hungry right around this time and the lady who helped told me this would fill us right up.”

“You’re the best, you really are,” Liam says with a lip bite.

“I also got us some dessert, but that’s for later,” he teases with a wink.

“Whoa, you’re pulling out all the stops today, I’m impressed!”

“Oh, you know, just looking out for my man,” Louis giggles.

Liam takes the first bite of the mixed greens, making a noise of approval when he recognizes a roasted chili taste from the salad dressing.  He takes another bite and nearly chokes when he feels Louis’s foot rubbing along his leg and towards his inner thigh.

A different kind of noise comes out of Liam’s mouth when Louis’s shoe hovers over his crotch, and Liam grabs his water bottle, quickly opening it and drinking half of it in a span of five seconds.

“Funny, your salad isn’t supposed to be spicy,” Louis remarks nonchalantly, “I was sure it’d be rather mild.”

Liam opens his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but Louis’s foot nudges him, rendering him speechless from the pleasurable sensation it sends down his cock.  His brain is marinating this moment along with their earlier make out session into one, and the more Louis massages him with his foot, the worse Liam feels knowing he’s getting an erection in public and can’t find the words to tell Louis to keep going.

If Liam were shameless enough, he’d get Louis to suck him off right then and there—considering he’s getting better at it—but with forty-five minutes left, he musters up as much courage as he can to stop Louis before he goes any further.

“Louis!” Liam squeaks, “On the grounds that we are supposed to be eating lunch, _and not to mention there are children nearby_ ,” he says under his breath, “I’m going to ask you to stop making me horny right this second.”

“But Liam, we’re at a park!  Don’t you want to play with me?” Louis pouts, and Liam crosses his legs, trapping Louis’s foot.

“We will settle this when I get home from work,” Liam growls, “but right now, you need to sit there and think about what you’ve done to my dick in the last fifteen minutes.”

Louis licks his lips, smirking when Liam opens his legs and goes back to eating.  “Yes, daddy."  Hearing that only makes Liam choke again.

Tossing aside their empty salad tubs, Louis takes out a clear plastic bowl revealing slices of angel food cake topped with strawberry syrup and whipped cream.  Louis holds out two extra forks and Liam runs around the table, sitting beside him so they can share the dessert together.

Liam savors the juicy sweetness of the strawberries in his mouth, and he can’t help but give in to Louis’s deliberate seduction.  Louis puts on a show for Liam by inserting pieces of cake in his mouth using his entire finger and running the tip of his tongue around a strawberry, letting it sit on his lips and sucking the cream off until Liam makes a low, guttural grunt of pleasure.

“I’m sorry, was I distracting you from eating?” Louis innocently bats his eyes.

“Sneaky fox, this was your plan all along, wasn’t it—tempting me on the clock!”

Louis slowly licks the remaining syrup from his fork, and sneers at Liam when his mouth opens little by little, as if he were tasting the strawberries himself.  “My eyes are up here, captain,” Louis tuts.

Liam snaps out of his trance and clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile on his face.  Louis gives him a wink and they lean towards each other for a kiss, but Louis stops, his worried expression a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

“What is it?” Liam looks around, panicked.  “Did you see something?”

Louis’s breath becomes labored, looking down at their dessert bowl as if he were about to throw up.  Liam tries his best to coax Louis out of his anxiety, but it makes him feel helpless, not knowing what triggered Louis into clamming up.  When Louis looks up again, he’s breathing harshly, and Liam tries to follow wherever Louis is looking, only spotting a handful of parked cars and a silver Mercedes Benz circling the parking lot.

“You’re starting to look pale, do you need to go to the hospital?” Liam asks, and Louis furiously shakes his head.  “Okay, come on, I’ll take you back home.”

They pack up and run back to Liam’s truck, and Louis keeps his head down until they’re back on the road again.  Louis’s anxiety seems to subside the farther they drive away from the park, but Liam stays quiet, worried he’ll provoke Louis if he asks the wrong question.  By the time Liam reaches his driveway, Louis doesn’t move, and Liam patiently waits until he finally speaks.

“I’m sorry I ruined our lunch date,” Louis says softly, picking at his jeans.  “It wasn’t supposed to end like that.”

“Hey, it’s all right, I still had a good time,” Liam assures him, putting his hand over Louis’s.

Louis smiles and immediately leans over, kissing Liam the same way he did before they went to the park.  Liam moans when Louis bites his lower lip, only to be disappointed when his phone chimes with a reminder that he has fifteen minutes left before his break is over.  Louis gives him one last kiss and Liam watches him go back into the house, waving at him when he leaves.

Back at the boatyard, Liam notices the same silver Benz from earlier parked across the street when he heads towards the hangar.  Its window rolls down and Liam spots a pair of black sunglasses for a moment until the window rolls back up and the car takes off.

—

With his trembling hands holding the house phone, Louis dials the number to his aunt’s home, desperate to tell her what he’d seen earlier.  She picks up after three rings, and the sound of her voice soothes Louis almost instantly.

“Aunt Anais, they know I’m here.  I saw the cars, they know where I am.”

“Baby, it’s time,” she says calmly, “you know what you have to do.”

“I won’t leave Liam, I can’t do that to him,” Louis’s eyes well up with tears, “I can’t leave what I’ve–”

_Five more seconds, keep him on the line!_

“Who was that?” Louis nearly raises his voice, and grips the phone even tighter.  “What have you done?”

His aunt begins to sob, tearfully letting out, “I’m so sorry, Louis!  It was Winston.  He made me do this—I had no choice, love.  You have to run.”

Louis immediately slams the phone down, his heart beating out of his chest when he realizes the mistake he’s made.  He promised he wouldn’t contact his aunt again for some time, and the cars that followed him made him realize they’re closing in on him and he’s in danger of losing everything.

Louis paces back and forth around the room, his stomach tossing and turning the more he thinks about how stupid he was to make that phone call.  He’s desperate to call Liam and tell him they need to run away and live a life on the run—moving wherever, whenever.

But no matter how many times Liam’s said he wanted to leave Matteo County, Louis can’t drag him into that life.  He’d rather be dead than leave Liam behind.

—

Switching on the light in the garage, Liam gathers what he needs from the metal cabinets on the walls, and stashes a lantern, a flashlight, several packets of glow sticks, and two large fleece blankets into a duffel bag.  He throws the bag in the back seat of his truck and goes back into the house, running to his room to grab other accessories he and Louis will be needing later.

Liam came home finding his father worried, telling him that Louis had been acting strange since he got back from their lunch date.  Louis seemed paranoid, constantly peeking out of the windows, and spent nearly two hours sifting through mounds of old newspapers, cutting them up into pieces in the living room until his fingers were blackened from the ink.

Now Louis is sitting outside on the back porch, completely oblivious to Liam’s late night plan.

Liam slowly opens the sliding door and pokes his head out, finding Louis sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest and staring into the mug of tea in his hand.  He quietly approaches Louis and kneels down to where he’s sitting, and puts his hand over Louis’s knee.

“Hey,” Louis whispers with a frail smile.

“Are you feeling limber?” Liam asks, prompting Louis to raises his eyebrows.  “There’s a place I’d like to take you, if you’re willing to go.”

“Will I need a blindfold again?”

Liam quietly laughs, rubbing his thumb over Louis’s kneecap.  “Not this time.  The place I have in mind is too gorgeous to be seen through a bandana.”

Soon, they change into their regular clothes and climb into Liam’s truck.  Liam heads out towards the empty highway by the beach, driving with the windows down and his arm around Louis’s shoulder.  Louis turns on the radio, switching the stations until he hears the opening notes of “[In Your Eyes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3kFPBtc9BE)", and tells Liam to listen to the words.  Liam briefly closes his eyes, taking in the sound of Peter Gabriel’s voice, the wind rushing through his hair, and the feeling of Louis’s warm body next to his.

“Don’t fall asleep on me just yet,” Liam jokes when Louis goes still.

“I’m just enjoying the song!  I find it’s rather apt at the moment,” Louis quietly laughs, nuzzling Liam’s neck.  “Would you run away with me, Liam?  Start a new life where no one knows us?”

“Maybe if we were a little older I think I’d take you up on that offer.”

“We’re old enough now, aren’t we?  I’ll be turning twenty-five on Christmas Eve.”

“I suppose twenty-three is pushing it,” Liam says jokingly.  “Well, technically, I’ll be twenty-four at the end of August.”

“Oh wow,” Louis gasps, “that’s nearly a month and a half away.”

“Planning something memorable?”

Louis plays with Liam’s fingers on his shoulder, softly kissing each of them.  “Being here with you is memorable enough.  Nothing else matters.”  Liam smiles and they snuggle closer, holding each other tight until the song ends and they reach their destination.

—

Liam parks along the side of the road, grabbing his duffel bag and guiding Louis through a wooded cliff near the end of the beach.  Louis holds onto Liam’s hand as tight as he can, frightened by how dark it is despite their flashlights illuminating the area.  Liam hasn’t been to this place in years, but the tunnel-like pathways remain untouched as he remembers them.

The pathway leads to the edge of a cliff, and Louis gasps when he stumbles and Liam holds him up, telling him to stay close and to watch his step when they walk downhill.  Liam points his flashlight at a downward slope and Louis protests, but Liam assures him that as long as they stick together, they will make it down safely.

Step by step, with Louis clinging to the back of Liam’s hoodie, Liam holds on to the rocky wall with his free hand, clawing at them for support should he and Louis fall to their untimely deaths.  Thankfully the feeling is gone within a minute, because as soon as Liam steps onto the flat rocks under his feet, he knows everything will go according to plan.

Walking carefully through an opening in the rock wall, Liam stops when he hears loud splashes and drops of water landing on the ground.  He puts his flashlight in his back pocket and digs through his bag for the glow sticks, tearing them away from their foil packets.

“What are those for?” Louis asks, confused.  “Have you taken me to a midnight rave or something?”

Liam lets out a loud laugh, then cracks the glow sticks and hands half of the beams of colored light to Louis.  “On the count of three, I want you to throw these as far as you can.  One… two… three.”

Together, they fling the glow sticks as far as possible, and Liam lets out a satisfied laugh when they illuminate a small pool of water.  Louis’s eyes light up from the blue and green colors, and Liam puts his flashlight away in place of the lantern, turning it on for additional ambience.  The glow of the cavern stuns Louis even further at the sight of the rock pillars that surround them, especially the high splashes of sea water that enter through an opening in the wall and into the glowing pool.

“Liam, where are we?” he asks in awe, “I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“It’s a grotto,” Liam smiles, “I found it by chance a couple of years ago after my mom died.  I used to come here when I couldn’t handle being at home and I’d just spend hours drawing or reading… anything to help me cope with my grief.  I haven’t been here in a long time.”

“It’s absolutely beautiful, I can see why you liked it so much,” Louis says in agreement.

In a hollow shell nearby, a weathered marble statue of a woman dressed in a toga stands with her arms outstretched towards the sea.  Her natural chips and cracks are emphasized by the submerged glow sticks, like wrinkles of history that adorn her once perfect face.  Louis walks up to her, running his hands down the rough texture of her weathered arms.  The long waves of her hair remain pristine and Louis grazes his fingertips over the flowing pleats of her dress, admiring its precision and craft.

“Has she always looked this way?”

“The same as she did when I first found her,” Liam says pointedly.  “I always thought the way she posed was interesting, like she’s welcoming the sea into her arms.”

“I suppose she might be welcoming anybody who finds this secret place.”

Liam watches as Louis looks to where the statue’s hands reach out, delicately placing his hand over her cupped palm.  Louis leans closer to her, as if she were whispering in his ear, and Liam can’t help but wonder what she could be saying when a smile forms on Louis’s face.

Soon after, Louis begins taking off his clothes, starting with his hoodie and followed by his t-shirt.  When his fingers reach the top button of his jeans, he pauses and looks at Liam, giving him a curious gaze.

“Are you going to join me or are you just going to stare the entire time?”

“Join you?  You mean like, _for skinny dipping?_ ” Liam asks with wide eyes, and Louis shakes his head, quickly shoving his jeans off his skinny legs.

“You act like you haven’t seen me naked,” Louis teases, “this should be nothing new to you.”

“Seeing you naked is always a new experience, I must say.”

Louis ducks his head to smile, and takes off his underwear, tossing them over his shoulder before he kneels down and carefully makes his way into the pool of water.  “Oh jeez, it’s cold!” he yelps with a shiver, holding his arms to stop himself from shaking when a splash from the sea enters the pool.  “Don’t just stand there, Liam!  Get in here!”

Liam does as he’s told and undresses in a matter of seconds, and jumps towards the middle of the pool, splashing Louis with cold water everywhere.  The pool is shallow enough that they can wade around safely, and deep enough for them to swim without reaching the surface too quickly.

Louis takes charge by splashing Liam, maniacally laughing when Liam’s splashes are practically tidal waves in the grotto.  Hearing Louis laugh is like music to Liam’s ears, knowing this is exactly what he’d planned to help Louis keep his mind off of whatever anxiety he had since their lunch date.

When Louis swims under, Liam follows him, fascinated once more by how ethereal Louis looks in the water.  The blue beams of light reflect off of Louis’s eyes, hypnotizing Liam as if they were the first time he saw them the day he found Louis washed ashore.

Swimming to the surface, Liam takes in a huge gasp of air, and wipes away the water from his face.  Louis comes up soon after, wading towards Liam with a grin on his face.

“Thank you for taking me here,” he says, slicking his hair back with his hands.

“I knew you’d like it.  This place always made me feel better, my little hideaway.”

Liam pulls Louis a little closer, and Louis wraps his arms around him, making himself a little taller when they share a kiss.  Louis feels weightless in the water, the way he melts into Liam and moans in his mouth when their tongues meet.  Liam manages to back himself against one of the rocks, using it to support their combined weight.

Louis starts to shiver when a splash from the sea enters the grotto, and Liam helps him out of the water, handing him one of the fleece blankets to keep him warm.  Liam takes the other blanket for himself, and the two spend the next few minutes huddled next to each other for added warmth.  Louis links their hands together and Liam is suddenly anxious, unsure if it’s from chilly night air or just nerves in general.

“What’s wrong?  You’ve gone antsy on me,” Louis says worriedly.

“Why did you stay?” Liam blurts out, surprising Louis.  “I-I mean, I know I asked you to stay because you had nowhere to go,” he stammers, taking in a deep breath, “and you were always free to leave if you no longer needed me.  But…you stayed.  I just want to know why.”

Louis looks down from where he sits, swirling a bit of water with the pad of his finger.  “I stayed because I made a mistake and thought maybe I could start again.” Louis chuckles softly, then looks into Liam’s eyes.  “I stayed for you.”

“ _Me?_  But why not for yourself?  I never wanted you to feel like you were obligated to stick around.”

Louis starts to laugh, and shakes his head looking up at the ceiling of the grotto.  “Do you know when you visit a place and you just sort of feel like you were meant to live there, and you dream about how great life would be if you did?  That’s what I felt all those times we went to the docks to watch the sunset; I just felt like I belonged here with you.”

“Did you ever expect to… um…” Liam giggles a little, and rubs the back of his neck.

“Expect to what?”

“Have feelings for me?” he asks curiously, making Louis blush.  “I already liked you when we first met, but when we started writing to each other, I thought maybe there was something more to it.”

“I suppose I found you a little strange ‘cause you got so excited about the smallest things, but you were just so endearing about it,” Louis bites his lip, holding back a smile.  “And to be honest, the more we got to know each other through the journals, the more I knew I wanted to be with you.  You had so much to say and I couldn’t get enough.  I never felt like I deserved anyone until we did all of that.”

“Oh Louis, I never meant to make you wait for so long,” Liam’s voice yearns for Louis’s forgiveness.  “I thought that if you stayed for a day and left, it’d just be a little crush—a one-time thing I wouldn’t think about after a week.  Instead you stayed… and you waited for me after all that time we spent together.”

Louis quickly kisses Liam, their lips pressed together as Louis moves around to bracket Liam’s hips and sit between his legs.  “You were worth the wait, Liam.  Every single second, minute, and hour.”

Liam runs his fingers along the back of Louis’s neck, gripping his hair to kiss him even harder.  Louis begins to rock his hips into Liam, the pleasurable sensation pulsating down Liam’s spine as he holds Louis steady by the waist.  Liam’s too preoccupied with kissing Louis’s neck when Louis stops him and whispers a request that leaves Liam both flattered and nervous.

“Are you sure?  This is a lot different than what we normally do,” Liam says, worried.  He’s more than willing to give Louis whatever he wants when he asks, but Liam’s cautious, knowing Louis has never done this before.  Liam never asked Louis why he remained chaste—for lack of a better word, despite all the times they’ve sucked each other off—but he knows it’ll be a new experience for both of them.

“I want this, Liam,” Louis whispers, “I want you.”

The fact that Liam even bothers to contemplate whether or not this is a good idea might be the silliest thought he’s ever come up with.  Louis’s stare is so willing and eager, and Liam nods his head, kissing Louis as reassurance when they begin.

(The thought of having sex wasn’t on Liam’s mind when he was packing up for their visit, but it couldn’t have hurt to bring a few condoms and lube, just in case it _did_ happen.  Liam can’t stop blushing when he tells all of this to Louis, who laughs hysterically at the entire ordeal.

“Oh Liam, you knew _exactly_ what you were doing bringing me here tonight, you deviant.”)

Liam carefully lies Louis on his back over the fleece blanket, making sure he feels relaxed, and kisses Louis all over, working themselves up until Louis feels ready.  Liam slowly pushes into Louis and he lets out a gasp, shutting his eyes from the sensation, but pleads with Liam to keep going.  His fingernails dig into Liam’s arms with every movement he makes, and Louis lifts his hips to take Liam even further.

Liam makes sure Louis isn’t in pain through all of this, his rhythm slow enough for Louis to appreciate.  Soon, Louis lets out a moan and wraps his arms around Liam’s shoulders, nodding his head to let Liam know he’s all right.  Louis starts to lose his breath and Liam buries his face in Louis’s neck, groaning pleasurably as their pace quickened in time.

“You’re okay?” Liam asks, and Louis nods, digging his fingernails into Liam’s shoulders.

There’s no time to speak after that, not when Liam gets his hand around Louis’s cock and makes his body tremble.  Liam goes as fast as Louis tells him to until he comes, letting out breathless moans of Liam’s name throughout the grotto.  Liam kisses Louis to bring him down from his high, and he pushes Liam on his back to climb on top of him.

Louis straddles Liam’s hips, his hands running up and down Liam’s chest before he reaches behind and slowly sinks down, inhaling a sharp breath when Liam’s inside of him.  Liam holds onto Louis’s waist as he rides him, tipping his head back when Louis moves even faster, letting out giggles of pleasure when Liam comes.

They snuggle against each other when they’re done, lazily kissing under the fleece blanket wrapped around them.  Liam glances at the statue over Louis’s shoulder, her pose reminding him of how he accepted Louis into his life, dumbfounded at how long it’s been since he first arrived.

“How many were there before me?” Louis softly asks, surprising Liam.

“Do you really want to know?  I don’t want to lie, but if you want me to say—”

“God, no!  You don’t have to say it, I was being silly,” Louis laughs, poking Liam in the chest.  “I don’t care who else you’ve been with, it was nice to feel like I was the only one.”

“But you _are_ , Louis.  I wouldn’t have done this for anyone else,” he says earnestly to his love-flushed Louis.  “I did some crazy stuff when I was younger, stuff that I still can’t believe I even agreed to.  But this—what we have,” Liam pauses with a lip bite, “I’m glad it’s with you.”

“Say it again,” Louis shakily whispers, kissing Liam on the lips.  “Say I’m the only one who gets to have this version of you.”

“You get _all_ of me, Louis.”

Louis falls fast asleep on Liam’s shoulder during the car ride home, and Liam holds him tight, wishing the night would never end.

—

For the next two days, Louis stays indoors, refusing to leave the house in fear of seeing the silver cars again.  He insists on keeping the blinds closed, telling Liam and Geoff the summer sun was too bright for his eyes to handle.  Liam tries not to make a big deal about it, but it kills Louis on the inside having to lie to the one person he trusts the most.

On the second night, Louis’s insides feel like they’ll explode, unable to handle the overwhelming anxiety that’s taking over.  Right after Geoff leaves for work, Louis coaxes Liam into making him feel something other than the fear that plagues his mind.  Except his usual nightly seduction doesn’t work out the way it should when he accidentally yells at Liam out of frustration.

“Louis, don’t you dare force me to have sex with you if you’re going to act like this!  What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m not forcing you, damn it, I just need you to hold me!  Why do you have to question something as simple as that?  It’s not that hard to do!”

“Then _tell me_ you want to be held,” Liam says calmly.  “Don’t say it like you just want to get it over with, you’ve never done that before—don’t start now.”

Louis lets out a defeated noise and sinks his head into Liam’s shoulder, doing his best not to pound his fists into Liam’s chest for being so damn sincere.  Liam puts his hand over Louis’s shoulder blade, its warmth taking over his body when Louis kisses his way up from Liam’s neck to his lips.  Louis apologizes and asks for Liam’s forgiveness, promising to never repeat his outburst again.

Liam gives in to Louis, taking away only briefly, his frightened state of mind.  Louis savors Liam’s every touch and feeling of his entire body, the way Liam fucks into him as they breathlessly stutter each other’s names and swallow their kisses.  Their hands intertwine the faster they move against each other until they come, sweating and flushed all over.

Louis watches Liam as he sleeps, gingerly touching Liam’s chest with his fingertips, memorizing every ridge and curve he can find.  He draws their initials over Liam’s abdomen, stopping when Liam links their fingers together, and Louis falls asleep to his heartbeat.

—

The next morning after Geoff leaves for work meeting, Louis can’t be bothered to cook anything.  He knows he’ll need to be incognito if he goes out and he digs through Liam’s closet for a potential disguise.  The back of Liam’s closet consists of coats and snapbacks, something Louis has yet to see Liam wear outside of his usual t-shirts and tank tops.  The weather is a little overcast and colder than usual, and Louis forgoes the coats, grabbing a red snapback and heading back to his room to put on his hoodie.

The deli where Harry works is about ten minutes away on foot, and Louis adjusts the hat over his head, leaving little tufts of hair sticking out from the bottom.  He’s quick on his feet when he leaves the house, and does his best to blend in with the other pedestrians when he reaches the busy intersection three blocks away.

Louis looks around and over his shoulder every few seconds, hoping nobody he recognized from Winston Enterprises would be waiting around the corner.  The deli comes into view and Louis quickly crosses the street, running inside and waiting in the short line from the counter.

Louis finds Harry speaking to a leggy brunette at the cash register, his dimpled grin radiating a mile away along with his pink cheeks.  Harry does a double take of Louis when he looks over the brunette’s shoulder, immediately waving at him to cut the line.  The brunette turns to face him, and Louis recognizes her as the waitress from the seafood restaurant a few weeks ago.  They greet each other as she pays for her food, teasingly calling Louis ‘catfish boy’ before she gives the two friends a wave when she leaves.

“Yes!  I just totally secured my place in line with her,” Harry squeals, punching the air.

“Eleanor, right?”  Harry wiggles his eyebrows in response.  “I thought she hates you.”

“She still does, technically.  But I mean, I gave her a discount!  Everyone loves a discount, don’t they?”

Louis nods his head in confusion, but decides not to press on any further.

“So, what’s up, man?  Liam let you off the leash?” Harry jokes with a smile.

“Just thought I’d get some air.  And some sandwiches.”

“I have a few ready-made ones behind the counter right now,” he says, pointing over his shoulder, “I’ll toast them up if you want.”

“I think I’ll take two of your best sellers,” Louis smiles.  “Don’t want to hold up the line and all.”

Harry shakes his head, laughing when Louis realizes the short line from just a few minutes ago had quickly disappeared.  “Just wait here, I’ll get your stuff.”

Louis sits down at an empty table and leans back against the wall, his head facing the doorway of the deli.  He doesn’t feel as anxious waiting for his food, but he knows as soon as he walks out, he’ll have to keep his head down again until he reaches Liam’s house.

Harry comes out from behind the counter a few minutes later and hands Louis a warm paper bag, and Louis protests when Harry refuses to let him pay.  “No man, friends get free food,” he laughs, pushing Louis’s twenty dollar bill away from him.  Louis reluctantly puts his money away and Harry greets Sheriff Malik as he enters the deli.

“Harry!  Nice to see you hardly working,” Sheriff Malik jokes when he gives him a pat on the back.

“I didn’t know you were coming in, no one at the station called for food.”

“Not today, son.  I’m actually here for Louis.”

“Oh?” Louis says with wide eyes.  “But Harry said I could have these for free,” pointing at the paper bag.

“It’s not about that,” he laughs.  “We should probably talk outside.  I’ll see you later, Harry.”

Louis waves at Harry, then follows the sheriff out of the deli.  Louis looks around suspiciously and Sheriff Malik takes out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, hesitant to say anything.  “Do you know what this is, Louis?” he asks, unfolding it to reveals its contents.

_Missing Person Report: Tomlinson, Louis William_  
 _Last seen in April leaving his Manhattan loft driving a black BMW._

Louis begins to hyperventilate and his eyes well up with tears from the sight of his own name.  He tries to run but Sheriff stops him, and does his best to try and calm him down.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Louis?  Why did you lie about how you showed up?” he asks sternly, scaring Louis into silence.  “A black BMW was reported abandoned a few weeks ago and my crew found fingerprints that didn’t match anyone in our database.  But then I get this report and put all the pieces together, realizing the car and those prints belong to you.”

Louis begins to sob, his body trembling from being found out.  “I didn’t mean to do it!” he shouts.  “The car crashed because I wasn’t looking and I wound up on the beach because I didn’t know where to go or how I was going to find the car again, I swear!  I meant no harm!”

Sheriff Malik tries to keep Louis’s shouting to a minimum, taking him aside to help him regain his composure.  “Tell me who Ben Winston is.”

“Winston!?” Louis says in disgust, “What does that bastard want?”

“He sent his security team several hours ago to help me track you down.  I have to escort them when they arrive, and once they find you, they’ll be taking you back home.”

“No!  You can’t do this, I can’t go back!” Louis says desperately.  “Tell him anything you want, just don’t let him or his goons find me!  If I go back, it’ll be the end of everything.”

“It’s okay, Louis, nothing’s happened yet,” he says, holding Louis still.  “Winston was pretty condescending on the phone, and judging by your reaction, I already know he’s not exactly the nicest guy this side of Mr. Rogers.  I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do what I can to at least misguide them, all right?”

Louis nods and Sheriff Malik rubs his shoulder to comfort him.  “You can’t tell Liam,” Louis says shakily, “you can tell Zayn and Niall, but not Liam.  I have to be the one to do it.”  Sheriff nods and Louis hugs him, needing some sort of comfort that he would be okay for the time being.

Sheriff Malik gives Louis a ride back to the house, and Louis stays silent for the entire trip, tightly gripping his bag of hot food.  It hits Louis like a ton of bricks when he comes to the realization that the voice he heard during his phone call to his aunt must have been the police tracing his call.  It was surely the only reason the company cars knew where to find him the other day.

What makes Louis sick to his stomach is the fact that Louis’s company rival, Ben Winston, is behind all of this.  Winston’s reputation was far more popular than the man himself—rumors flew around for years that he’d been harassing numerous defense technology companies for their patents and selling military weapons on the black market—and Louis knew the man would do anything to make more money, including a hostile takeover of his late uncle’s company.

The SUV comes to a stop in front of Liam’s house, and Louis stays in the car for a few more minutes, more frightened than ever.  Sheriff clears his throat, hoping to break the tension in the car.

“You know, when you first arrived, Liam told me you didn’t have the face of a criminal,” he chuckles, and Louis stares at him in surprise.  “He was so taken with you when he brought you to the hospital, I didn’t think you’d have such an effect on him and his friends.  Took me by surprise when Niall and Zayn figured out Liam was pretty smitten with you.”  Sheriff shakes his head, and Louis struggles to keep a straight face, unsure if he wants to laugh or just burst out in tears.

“Louis, I’m not allowed to do bend the rules like this, but I can look past what’s going on and do what I can to help you get out of this muddle.  You’re not guilty of anything as far as I’m concerned.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Louis quietly whispers, “but I fear I’ll be out of everyone’s hair soon enough.”  Louis’s eyes start to water and he quickly wipes his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie, only slightly consoled by Sheriff rubbing his shoulder.

“It’s funny when I think about it,” Louis sniffles a little, “I meant to stay for a few days, but after all this time with Liam… I honestly thought I was going to start a new life here.”

—

At the boatyard, Liam’s sweeping away sawdust from the floor, having spent the last four hours measuring and cutting pieces of wood for the next part of a boat he’s working on with his team.  He continues sweeping until Miss Schreyer walks into the hangar, and pulls him aside to speak privately.

“Liam, I just received two urgent calls from two different people in the span of five minutes—both of them were asking for you.”

“Who is it?” he asks, worried.  “Has something happened?”

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but the first call was from a boy named Harry, and the other was from Louis and it sounded like he was crying.”  Miss Schreyer gives Liam a worried look, and his heart races from the anticipation.  “Go on up to the office and do what you need to do.”

Liam quickly heads to his locker, taking out his phone and running up to Miss Schreyer’s office where Katie immediately leads him to the conference room to give him his privacy.  Liam calls the house, waiting up to four rings until it finally picks up.  He can hear Louis sniffle a little, a clear indication he was still crying.

“Louis, are you all right?  Is everything okay?”

He waits for Louis’s response, and grows anxious when he hears Louis’s shaky breath in the receiver.  “I need you, Liam,” he says in a weakened tone, “come home as soon as you can.”

“Tell me what’s wrong—”

“Please!” Louis interrupts, letting out a sob.  “Please just come home, I need you here.”

Louis hangs up and Liam tries to call back, only to be left hanging on the line when Louis doesn’t pick up again.  Liam searches for Harry’s number and calls him, yelling at the top of his lungs when Harry answers.

“Liam, just calm down and I can explain everything!”

“I need to know what the hell is going on!” Liam yells frantically.  “My boss comes up to me and tells me you and Louis called saying it’s an emergency, but no one’s telling me a damn thing about what’s happening!”

“It’s Louis, that’s what this whole thing is about!” Harry shouts.  “He came into the deli half an hour ago and before he left, Zayn’s dad showed up all serious saying he needed to talk to him.”

“Do Zayn and Niall know about this?” Liam asks, surprised.

“I don’t think so, you’re the only one I’ve called,” Harry takes a deep breath, exhaling nervously.

“Tell me what happened,” Liam says in a calmer tone.  “I called Louis a few minutes ago and he wants me to come home, but I need you to tell me everything from the moment you saw Louis walk into the deli until the very second he left.”

Harry pauses for a moment, then gives Liam a rundown of what he saw from the window right after Zayn’s father and Louis stepped out.  The only thing that concerns Liam throughout Harry’s story is the piece of paper Sheriff Malik had shown to Louis, which he’s sure might have caused Louis’s distress call.

“Did you get a good look at the paper?  Anything at all?”

“I was too far, Liam, I’m sorry,” Harry says sadly.  “All I know is that paper must’ve triggered something really bad if it was going to make him that emotional.”

Liam can feel his stomach drop to the floor, his heart beating so loudly it’d burst if he knew something was happening to Louis and he couldn’t stop it.

“Look, you need to go home right this second.  There’s obviously something big going on and the longer you keep Louis waiting, the more it’s going to hurt him if you’re not there.”

“All right, I’ll do it,” Liam nods, running his hand through his hair.  “I’ll try and get out of work, but don’t tell my dad anything until I get this all sorted.”

“You have my word.  Now go home.”

—

Hugging his knees up to his chest, Louis rocks back and forth on Liam’s bed, desperately waiting for him to come home for the last hour and a half.  Louis was hoping this day would never arrive, but with a missing persons report filed and Winston’s crew coming after him on such short notice, he can’t keep this to himself any longer—he had to tell Liam everything.

The front door clicks open and Louis’s ears perk up, hearing a muffled shout of Liam’s voice.  He jumps out of the bed and runs into the hallway where Liam is just a few feet away from him.  They stay still for a moment, and Louis shifts his weight before he runs to Liam, throwing his arms around him while Liam laid kisses all over his face in relief.

“Are you okay?” Liam asks, taking Louis back into his bedroom.  “Please tell me what’s going on, you’ve had me worried since you called.”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Louis’s chin trembles, and he bites his lip to stop it.  “There’s something I need to tell you that’s probably going to make you hate me.”

“What are you talking about?  Are you in some sort of trouble?” Liam asks, his eyes widening every second Louis stays silent.  “Louis, please tell me!  If something bad is happening, I can help you!”

“You can’t!” Louis shouts, “No one can help me get out of this, not even my own aunt who made the stupid deal!”  Louis breaks away from Liam, gripping his hair in his hands as he paces around the room.  “Tell me what you know about Brahmst-Oberlin Industries, Liam.  Anything you can think of.”

Liam’s taken aback, then puts his head down to think.  “Uh, just that it’s a defense company?  Oh, and someone’s missing from there!  Yeah, like a shareholder!  Police have been looking for him for the last few weeks but they don’t have any leads from what I remember.  What does this have to do with anything?”

“Do you know why they haven’t found him?”

“I never really thought to look into it?  I mean, I feel bad that he’s gone missing but I’m sure he’s okay wherever he is.”

Louis sits Liam down on his bed, and drops to his knees, taking Liam’s hands into his own.  “Liam, I _am_ the missing shareholder.  My uncle, Sebastian Brahmst, died a few years ago and he was the CEO of the company with his best friend, Kelland Oberlin.  I’m the highest shareholder of the company and I’m one they’ve been looking for.”

“ _What!?_ ” Liam shouts, “You can’t be, they’ve never even shown a picture, just his name!  They said his name is Lou—” Liam pauses, looking at Louis in complete utter shock.  “ _Louis Tomlinson_ ,” he whispers as if it were a new word, and mouths it again until he thinks he’s used to it.

Louis begins to sob and Liam stares at him, frozen from the realization.  Everything starts to make sense: the family crest on Louis’s ring, the blacked out article he’d seen, the news reports Louis distracted him from watching.  Liam’s chest starts to ache, and too many thoughts run in his mind, wondering if Louis wasn’t the person he’d fallen for in the last month and a half.

“After all this time,” Liam says softly, trying to find the right words.  “How could you keep this a secret from me?” he asks, trying to get Louis to look at him.  “Please tell me everything you wrote in your journals were true, that you didn’t lie about anything we’ve shared.  I poured my heart out to you, Louis, and I refuse to let you play me for a fool.”

“I didn’t lie, I swear I didn’t!” Louis says tearfully, “I told you everything you wanted to know except for the reason why I came here.”

“Then you better make damn sure you don’t leave anything out,” Liam sniffs, trying not to distress Louis any further.  Liam slides off the edge of his bed and sits on the floor with Louis, and places a kiss on Louis’s temple, rubbing the sides of his arms until Louis was ready to speak.

“If you decide you don’t want to be with me anymore, I won’t stop you,” Louis tries to laugh, but all he can do is look away.

“That is the stupidest thing you’ve said to me,” Liam shakes his head, leaning in to kiss him.  “We’ve gotten this far and I’m not leaving you now.”

“The day you found me…I don’t remember much about it except when I woke up and saw you,” Louis weakly smiles, and Liam kisses him again.  “Your eyes were so big in those few seconds I managed to stay awake.  If anything, I’m glad it was you who found me.  Anyone else would have left me on the street as soon as I left the hospital.”

Louis starts from the beginning, from when his ailing aunt’s gambling problem spun out of control until the day she begged him to run away after making the deal that would ruin their family name.  He tells Liam about the arranged marriage, his inheritance, the BMW he accidentally crashed and abandoned, and the silver cars he saw on his way to the boatyard that triggered everything.

“You could have told me this from the beginning and I would have helped you, Louis.  Why did you wait until you were in trouble?”

“If I had known I was going to stay as long as I did, I would have told you.  But it’s too late no matter what I do now.  Winston’s lackeys are on their way to find me and Zayn’s dad is breaking a million laws trying to keep me hidden from them.”  Liam hugs Louis, and his body trembles when Liam holds him even tighter.

“This is why you asked me to run away with you, isn’t it?  I didn’t even give you an answer, I feel so stupid.”

Louis starts breathing harshly against Liam’s neck, shutting his eyes so tight he’s seeing stars.  “I already figured your answer is no.”

Liam pushes Louis away from him, his forehead wrinkled with anger.  “How can you say that to me?  After all we’ve done together?”

“You said if we were older you would do it, that was a far cry from a yes or no!”

“It doesn’t mean I refused!” Liam shouts, “Haven’t you been listening to me?  I want to be with you and I will do _anything_ to keep you safe, what part of that don’t you understand!?”  Liam struggles to breathe, and stands up to open the window in his room.  Louis hugs him from behind, holding Liam as tightly as he can.

“I never meant to drag you into any of this, I was only going stay until I got better and we would never see each other again,” Louis whispers shakily.  Liam turns around to face him, gently cupping Louis’s face in his hands.  “Call me a coward for running away, but I didn’t know what else to do, Liam.  I had to start over.  I just didn’t know I would start by falling in love with you.”

Liam doesn’t know what to think when he hears those words, but he’s desperate to keep Louis safe, and he’s as vulnerable when Louis kisses him both sweet and tender.  Caught up in the moment, they make their way towards the bed, spending the next hour sweating from the balmy air entering through the open window.  Liam lets out little cries the faster he fucks into Louis, and in Louis’s rapture, he thinks this may very well be the last time he and Liam ever share their bodies.

—

In a race against the clock, Liam and Louis quickly shower together and pack up everything they need, waiting for Zayn and Niall to arrive from the sheriff’s station.  Zayn’s father called the house, letting Liam know he’d told the couple about Louis’s situation, and he was doing what he could to get the keys to the glass house by Woolston Marina.  Sheriff Malik came up with a plan to hide Louis in the house while he evaded Winston and his cronies, but with the clock ticking, Sheriff was going to have to think even faster to help Louis safely disappear.

“Do you think this is going to work?” Louis asks, worried.

“I don’t know,” Liam sighs, pacing around the living room.  “I want it to work.  It _needs_ to work if we’re going to go into hiding.”

“Your dad didn’t seem to take too kindly to it, you didn’t have to send him off like that.”

“Listen to me, I am not leaving you and I refuse to let my father be involved in this, do you understand?” Liam sternly replies.  “Dad’s in shock for the most part, but he knows I’m doing this to keep both of you safe.”

As soon as his father had come home, Liam got into his first ever heated argument with him.  Liam begged him to stay away from the house for a while, telling him it was a matter of Louis’s safety.  Geoff demanded answers and Liam couldn’t give them to him, knowing it was only going to complicate things if he tried to explain everything himself.  In the end, Geoff reluctantly agreed to stay out of town with a friend.

Louis sits on the edge of the dining table, nervously biting into his knuckle.  Liam brushes Louis’s hand aside and kisses him, confessing,  “Louis, if we get through this, I just want you to know that I lo–”

“No, don’t say it,” Louis says desperately, “it’s not the right time.”

“If I don’t say it now then I’ll regret it, and you’ll never know how much you mean to me.”

“Don’t say it or I’ll never forgive you.  I’ll never forgive myself if I lose you.”

Liam is hurt by his words, and Louis keeps his head down, refusing to look at Liam when he tries to get his attention.  The door bell rings and Liam quickly runs to it, taking a peek over the windows above the door and opens it when he sees Zayn, Niall, and Harry.  They run inside and Niall rushes to Louis, holding him tight.  Zayn takes Liam aside, handing him a pair of keys and a map of where they’ll be going.

Zayn gives Liam a worried expression, his face clearly showing he was still slightly shocked over the situation.  “I couldn’t get the keys to the glass house, but Dad has a friend who lives a little farther away who will let you stay there for a few days.  They’re under the impression that you’ll be house sitting for them, so just keep your heads down and you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Zayn, I owe you one,” Liam responds with a hug.

“Nothing to it,” Zayn worriedly smiles, patting Liam on the back.  “We’ll be leaving in a few minutes, so double check your things before we go.  I have to make sure we have enough gas, I’ll be right back.”

Zayn runs back outside and Liam does as he’s told, looking through his bags to make sure everything he needs is enough for the few days he and Louis will be spending in hiding.  The house phone rings and Liam’s startled, holding a hand to his forehead to keep from overreacting when Harry answers it.

“Payne Residence, how may I direct your call?” Harry jokingly asks over the phone.  His goofy smile disappears within seconds, exchanging it for a blank expression and a stiff neck.

“Uh, Louis?  Who?” Harry feigns curiosity, and motions with his hand to the others, mouthing, ‘ _Check the door!_ ’.  “No, sorry, doesn’t ring a bell.  I think you’ve got the wrong number.”  Harry hangs up and runs to Liam, panicked.  “I don’t know who that was, but we need to get out of here _right now_.”

Liam grabs their luggage and Louis stands by his side, letting out several deep breaths.  “You ready?” Liam asks, and Louis responds with a kiss.  “Take my hand.”

Niall opens the door, and Liam spots Zayn’s Bronco sitting behind his pickup truck.  He and Louis barely make it down the steps with Harry and Niall when a gun cocks behind their heads, making them freeze where they stand.  Liam is suddenly aware of the barrage of cars in front of his house and the gang of bodyguards approaching his driveway.

“Make a move and your friend gets one to the head!” an unfamiliar voice yells, and Zayn comes into view, his lip streaked with fresh blood as he struggles to break free from his captor in a black and white suit holding a gun to his head.

“Let me go, asshole!” Zayn shouts, and Niall runs to him, only to be grabbed by another captor to stop him.  “You let him go, get your hands off of him!” Niall screams, reaching out for Zayn until he’s rendered motionless.

“Well, if it isn’t Louis in the flesh.  Finally come out to play, have you?”

Louis starts breathing heavily, his hand shaking in the grip of Liam’s palm.  A man in a grey suit walks up to where Zayn stands, his wavy slicked back hair and bearded face leaving Louis on the verge of tears.  Liam recognizes him, but he can’t figure out his name; not that he needs to when he and his friends are being held at gunpoint.

“You’re a hard man to find, Tomlinson.  Your aunt had me fooled for a while, but she couldn’t stay quiet for long now, could she?”

“Winston, you bastard,” Louis says under his breath, “I swear if you hurt my aunt, I’ll—”

“You’ll do what?  Kill me?  No, Louis.  I’ll be killing your friend here first for lying to me.”

“You greasy-haired fuck!” Zayn shouts, “Your bodyguards punched me in the face as soon as I got out here!”

“Makes no difference now that I’ve found the man of the hour, does it?” Winston asks while he buttons his suit jacket, and smacks Zayn over the forehead.  “What matters now is that Louis here meets his blushing bride, who happens to be my cousin, Francine.”

Another bodyguard—there seemed to be a plethora—pushes a girl past Winston, forcefully grabbing her by the arm and pushing back the long hair that covered her face.  Her eyes are red and full of tears, sobbing to be let go from her cousin.  She screams at Winston, calling him a monster, and lets it be known that she refuses to marry Louis.

“Who said you had a choice in this, Francine, huh!?” Winston shouts when he forcefully pulls her head back, scaring her half to death.  “You don’t make the decisions—I do!”

“Fuck you, Ben!” she spits out, gasping for air, “Did you forget the part that I’m already engaged to someone else?  Why the fuck do you even need to take over Brahmst-Oberlin!?  More money you’re going to steal from your father?  Why don’t you just do us all a favor and go fuck yourself, you stupid bastard!”

“You shut up, damn it!  Father doesn’t call the shots while I’m around, and I’m sure as hell not going to let you boss me about our money doubling to billions as soon as you’re both married!”

Francine hits her cousin over and over again with her fists, but he simply pushes her aside where she directs her hits to the bodyguard that pushed her earlier.  Winston pompously claps and rubs his hands, looking at each of the five boys with a menacing stare.

“Now that we’ve got that over with, which one of you is the ordained minister?”

Liam’s eyes widen when he looks straight at Zayn, and Winston cackles at their shocked expressions despite Harry’s protests.  “You’ve got the wrong person!” Harry shouts, “You don’t even know us!”

“I’ve had eyes and ears on this place as soon as we traced the call your friend Louis made to his sweet little old auntie.  I’ve got information on all of you and I’m going to start with the minister.”  Zayn gets pushed forward and Winston grabs him by the back of the collar, repeatedly telling him, “Start it!  Start the ceremony and maybe you’ll walk out of here with your dignity.”

“ _Make me, you prick_ ,” Zayn growls, spitting in Winston’s face.  He stays still for a moment, then grabs the pocket square on his jacket, wiping away the saliva from his cheek.

“If that’s how you’re going to play, then we’ll even the score.”  Winston punches Zayn in the stomach, prompting Niall to try and break away from his captor to get to Zayn.

“Stop it, Winston!  You don’t have to do this!  Just let Zayn go, nobody has to get hurt!” Louis shouts, but Winston punches Zayn again until he falls to the ground, then picks him up, wrapping his arm around Zayn’s neck to keep him upright.

“I’ll fucking kill you, leave him alone!” Niall screams as Zayn violently coughs to regain his composure.  “Zayn, talk to me!  Please just say something,” Niall says tearfully.

Zayn lets out a weak cough and holds onto Winston’s arm, struggling to breathe again.  He looks at Niall with a frightened expression, and laughs when he begins to cry.  “It’s going to be okay, Niall,” he says shakily, "I’ve got it under control.”

The sound of shotguns cocking startle the group, and Liam’s heart jumps when he hears a familiar voice.  “Hold it right there!” Sheriff Malik yells.  Five deputies with their weapons surround the five boys and their captors, but somehow, Liam doesn’t feel any safer even with the additional firepower.

“Let go of my son and you can walk away without a single hole in your head,” Sheriff Malik threatens.

“You’re a bit late, Sheriff.  Such poor planning you and your deputies have to try and mislead me.”

“This is my jurisdiction and I’ll do what I damn please to protect my son and his friends.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m on official business and I’m not walking away until your son officiates the marriage of my cousin and Tomlinson.”

“You’re not touching him!” Liam shouts, and Winston shoots him a glare before he scoffs.

“Boatbuilder,” he says with a sneer, walking closer to Liam.  “You’re of no threat to me, boy.”

“You stay right where you are!” Sheriff shouts, keeping his gun steady.  Liam stares at Winston and he thinks about the barrel pointed to the back of Winston’s head, hoping Zayn’s father will pull the trigger and save Louis from his fate.  “Either you tell me on what grounds Louis is forced to marry or I shoot you dead where you stand if you take one more step.”

“He’s marrying on the grounds that his aunt gave him up when she came to me for money!” Winston shouts.  “His marriage to my cousin will grant me his $400 million inheritance _and_ all ownership of his company to me and guess what?  I will be all the richer for it.”

“Go fuck yourself, Ben!  I am not marrying Louis and he’s not going to marry me, you can take this deal and go to hell!” Francine screams, and Winston flicks his hand, yelling for one of his bodyguards to take her back to the cars.  In his distraction, Zayn stomps on Winston’s foot and forcefully throws his head back, hitting Winston so hard that his nose begins to bleed.

“Damn it!” Winston shakes his head, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.

Zayn runs back to Niall, fighting off the bodyguard holding him back.  Winston walks towards Zayn and he puts up a fist, stopping when the deputies aim their shotguns in Winston’s direction.  Instead, he turns his attention to Louis and grabs the top of his head, dragging him away from Liam who’s held back by one of the deputies.

“I told you I would come here and take him back, Sheriff!” Winston shouts, “The future of my company rests on this idiot’s neck, and I’ll be damned if I lose a single cent!”

“Try and take my money, you bastard, I dare you!” Louis shouts, “You want me to marry your cousin, but we both refuse, why is that so hard to understand—were you born stupid, huh?  I’d rather see you die than to let you ruin my family name.”

Winston growls and throws Louis to the ground, pulling a gun from inside of his jacket and holding it to Louis’s head.  Liam runs to Louis, and Winston quickly aims the gun at Liam to stop him.  “No rush, boatbuilder.”

“Put the gun down now!  Drop your weapon!” the deputies yell, but Winston keeps his stance, refusing to break eye contact with Liam.

“Do you see what he’s done, boy?  He’s corrupted your mind, telling you nothing but lies.  People do that when they’re running away from something and now he’ll be running from you.”

“You’re the reason he came out here,” Liam angrily spits out, “he’s not going back without a fight and neither will I.”  Winston pulls back the hammer of his gun and points it back at Louis.  “If you shoot him, you get nothing.  You need him alive and he’s no good to you dead!”

“Winston, don’t do it,” Louis pleads, “just take me back and leave Liam alone.  I’m the one you want, let him go and I’ll do whatever you say.”

“Louis, what are you doing!”

“I have to fix this, it’s not your fight.”

“Don’t do this, we can figure something out, I won’t let you go.”

“This is the only way I can stop it, don’t make this any worse!” Louis stares longingly at Liam, his eyes full of betrayal and pain.  “I love you, Liam,” his lip trembles, “I won’t let him hurt you.”

A sharp pain stabs Liam through the chest hearing Louis’s declaration, wanting to say it back without the prospect of them being taken away from each other.  “You wouldn’t even let me say it to you,” Liam says with tears welling up.

“ _Telling you nothing but lies_ ,” Winston repeats in a low growl.  “Let this affair be ended.”

Winston lets go of Louis, tucking the gun back into his jacket when he walks away.  “Tell your men to stand down, Sheriff.  My work here is done.”  Winston walks up to one of his guards and whispers in his ear, then yells out, “Get his things!  Let’s move out!” and Louis is being forcefully dragged towards the black cars with no way to break free.

In the ensuing chaos, the four friends fight to help Louis, and Liam screams for his beloved, reaching out for his hand and refusing to let go.  Louis tries to fend off the bodyguards and Liam’s losing his grip with every passing second they slip away from each other.

Liam is pushed forward and their hands break free, their screams drowning out the rest of the commotion between Winston’s bodyguards and the deputies.  Liam escapes from his barricade, and tears begin filling his eyes the more Louis screams his name until his cries are cut off when he’s thrown into the back of a car.

Louis manages to get out, but it's too late when another guard grabs him and throws him back inside.  Liam runs as fast as he can to Louis, only to be pushed away and punched in the stomach.  Soon, Liam is punched in the face once, twice, and the third hit is hard enough for the last remaining moments to become a blur when he falls to his knees—Louis screaming and pounding on the windows as the car drives away, the deputies chasing after him, and Winston hovering over him with a smirk on his face.

"If you or any of your friends try to find or contact Louis, I will come back and kill all of you one by one.”

“Not if Louis gets you first,” Liam says in his pain induced daze.  “I hope he ruins you for everything you have.”

Winston gives him an incredulous look and delivers the final blow, using his gun to hit Liam across the face, rendering him helpless when he falls to the ground.  Liam’s body scratches against the warm gravel, and he can feel every scrape cutting his hands and arms wide open.  The last car takes off and Liam is too weak and powerless in his attempt to get back up.

“ _Louis_ ,” weakly crying as darkness takes over, “ _I’m so sorry_ ,” and closes his eyes.

—

An echo of Louis’s voice plays in Liam’s mind as he’s waking up, almost angelic to the senses.  His entire upper body aches when he tries to move, only made worse when he reaches over, finding the empty space where Louis would have been every morning.

After a lengthy and painful ordeal just trying to get to his feet, Liam slowly walks out into the living room where Harry, Niall, and Zayn are sleeping on the couch.  Zayn managed to walk away with a split lip and a few bruises, and Liam can’t remember a single thing after being punched in the face multiple times, having blacked out until this very moment.

And it’s been two days since it happened.

Standing at the glass sliding door, Liam opens the blinds, letting the early morning sunshine into the house.  He can hear a ghostly whisper of Louis asking what they should be cooking for breakfast, but he knows Louis isn’t there.  Liam stares the kitchen counter where Louis would sit when he watched Liam cook to pass the time.

 _Must you always cook such delicious food, Liam?  Trying to fatten me up so no one else will have me, I bet,_ Louis said in a sarcastic way that made Liam smile.

 _I’m just passionate about cooking!  When you love something that much, it’s got to come from the heart.  You’ve got to love what you’re making so everyone who eats it will love it, too,_ Liam answered.

Louis’s cheeks are a light shade of red when he looks at Liam, confessing, _I’m a bit passionate about you, Liam._   _What do you say to that?_

Liam pounds his head against the wall, trying to get Louis’s voice out of his head.  He still can’t believe Louis is gone and he doesn’t know how he’s going to cope with it.  The pain in his heart wasn’t this tremendous when he lost his mother, but he assumes this must have been a fraction of what his father felt when she finally passed.

The sun reflects off of the apothecary jars sitting on the coffee table, a glint of it shining into Liam’s eye.  He makes his way towards them and picks one up, blankly staring at all the seashells that lived inside.  A lump forms in Liam’s throat when he remembers the day Louis surprised him with the jars, so much that Liam purposely drops it onto the hardwood floor.  His three friends wake up in a panic, and Liam pushes off another jar from the table, letting the glass shatter everywhere.

“Liam, stop!  What are you doing!” Harry shouts, but Liam ignores him, shattering everything he finds.

More jars sit on the shelves that surround the television and Liam continues his emotional rampage despite the protests of his friends.  There were too many of these damned things in the house, and Liam will get rid of all of them if it meant cleansing the house of Louis’s presence.

Reaching for the final jar of sea glass, Liam holds it over his head and smashes it against the wall, his hands bloodied when it shatters and cuts him open.  All the days they went beach combing, the nights they spent on the docks watching the sunset, every kiss they shared; Liam felt they were reminders that lived in glass encasements and meant to be destroyed.  If only he could convince himself he could destroy his happiest moments with Louis.

Harry and Zayn manage to hold Liam’s arms down, dragging him to the kitchen where Liam begins sobbing out Louis’s name.  Saying it won’t bring him back, but he’s desperate for a reprieve, hoping Louis would walk through the front door and tell him everything was just a dream, that none of it ever happened and no one could tear them apart.

“You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing this!” Zayn shouts as they collectively fall to the floor, keeping Liam subdued until he finally gives up.

Niall runs to Liam, cupping Liam’s face in his hands to hold him steady.  “Liam, you have to focus, okay?  Stay with me,” he says, and holds Liam when he begins to cry.

“I just want him back, I want him here with us,” Liam sobs with intermittent hiccups.  “I should have saved him, I should have–” Liam shuts his eyes, unable to hold back his tears.  “I should have told him I loved him.”

“Liam, we can’t risk bringing him back without any of us being killed.  Winston made it clear to all of us what he would do if we tried anything,” Niall nervously tells him, and his answer isn’t comforting enough for Liam to stop crying.

Zayn and Harry help Liam to his feet, cleaning the blood off of his hands.  Liam takes several ibuprofen to ease the pain from his body, but it’s still too sensitive to the touch when he takes off his clothes for a quick shower.

After he dries off, Liam wipes the fogged up mirror with his hand, and finds himself startled when he sees the bruises on his face, colored dark purple and red around his eyes.  He lightly presses the bruise on his cheek, wincing when a slight shock of pain makes his heart race.

One of the cuts on his hand begins to bleed and he quickly digs through the drawers under the sink, looking for anything to clean himself up.  He looks back at the mirror when he’s done and freezes when he thinks he sees Louis standing behind him.

Like Orpheus and his beloved Eurydice, Liam doesn’t look back when he leaves, hoping Louis would still be there as soon as he turned around.  But Louis’s mirage fades and Liam is without him once more.

—

At the insistence of his father, Liam takes a week off from work to recuperate from his injuries.  Liam convinces himself he’s fine, when really, he isn’t.  He doesn’t eat as much as he used to, he can barely get three hours of sleep a night, and speaks no more than five words a day.  His friends take turns keeping an eye on him, but even then Liam feels their attention is too much to bear.

The only time Liam can truly get a full night’s sleep is if he cries, and it’s really such a stupid feeling, but it’s the only way it can work.  Except, Liam doesn’t _want_ it to work because he knows he’ll end up dreaming about Louis.  He’ll haunt Liam’s dreams as much as he haunts the bed they once shared.  Sometimes Liam thinks he can hear Louis laughing in his bedroom, and sometimes he thinks he can feel the ghostly touches of Louis’s fingertips over his heart.

Liam knows his father can hear him crying at night, and all Geoff can do is sit by his side, telling him things will be all right in the end if he waits long enough.  But even saying those words seems like a lie, and it hurts Geoff to see Liam in so much pain, knowing he can’t bring back the one person who meant the most to his son.  All the wishing in the world couldn’t even bring back his own wife.

The following week Liam comes back to work, he works twice as hard than he normally would have, and nearly strains his back from doing too much.  His coworkers notice his change in attitude, the once happy and curious Liam was now replaced with a quiet, sunken-eyed drone of whom they know to be their best builder.  Miss Schreyer grows concerned and takes Liam aside at one point, asking him if he was in need of any help.

She slips Liam the card of a grief counselor (how on earth she knew he was grieving, he’ll never know) and urges him to at least set up an appointment.  Liam avoids calling the counselor for several weeks, refusing to believe he needs help in the first place.

One day, Liam’s coworkers are treated to lunch paid by a wealthy client, but Liam stays behind in the break room and enjoys the silence with his lightly packed lunch of two apples.  One hand holds a half-eaten apple and the other is propped under his chin while he watches the local news on the small tv.  He’s not really watching, mostly staring at the corner of the screen and listening to the voices of the news anchors.

Katie walks in and takes a seat near Liam, quietly eating from her tupperware of freshly microwaved lasagna.  The smell alone makes Liam’s stomach grumble and he takes a bite from his apple to curb his hunger.

“Liam, isn’t that your friend?” Katie asks, pointing at the television screen.

“Who?” Liam mumbles, turning his head to face her.

“Your friend, the one that came to visit?  His picture’s on tv!”

_The search for Louis Tomlinson ended several weeks ago, where he was found living in Matteo County, California; a stretch of nearly twenty-eight hundred miles from his home in Manhattan.  The merger of his company with Winston Enterprises remains on the rocks with the board of directors, citing financial differences in the written will of Sebastian Brahmst, the late CEO of Brahmst-Oberlin Industries and Tomlinson’s uncle.  Here is his statement._

The newscast cuts to a roll of taped footage.  Cameras flash in the background and Liam’s heart nearly stops when Louis walks out of a building in a dark gray tailored suit with a determined look on his face.  Gone was his messy hair, now cut short and combed to the side, and his clean-shaven face making him look years younger than the scruff he’d grown out.  This is far from what he looked like when Liam found him on the beach, but he thought Louis was just as handsome all the same.

_“Mr. Tomlinson, what is the state of Brahmst-Oberlin now that you are the acting CEO?  Will your merger with Winston Enterprises affect your company’s net worth?”_

Louis gives the reporter a stern look and runs his hand through his hair, flashing the family crest ring on his finger.  Liam didn’t even know families still needed crests unless they were of royalty.  Though, in his mind, he treated Louis like a prince.

_“I cannot say at this time, but I do know their CFO has been making some less than unsatisfactory decisions in which no company should ever be associated.  The Brahmst-Oberlin creed is to build the best defense technology for our military and we believe in the satisfaction of our clients.  Winston Enterprises has no place in the history of my uncle’s company.”_

“Gosh, he sounds so professional calling someone out,” Katie says in awe as the reporters continue to hound Louis with questions.  “I didn’t know he was a business man.”

“Neither did I,” Liam replies sadly.

_“Mr. Tomlinson, just one more!  Can you recount your time in Matteo County and why you chose to stay there?”_

Louis’s jaw tenses at the question, and Liam thinks he might pass out when Louis stares so intently into the lens of the camera in front of him.  It’s almost as if he knew that Liam would be watching, but he couldn’t tell—even through the tv screen—if Louis was still thinking of him.

_“My time in Matteo County is a private matter and I would prefer it stayed that way to protect the people who helped me while I was there.  I hope to go back one day to show my gratitude for their hospitality.  Good day.”_

“You miss him, don’t you?” Katie quietly asks, making Liam tense up.  “That’s why you’ve been so sad.”

Liam walks out of the room and down the end of the hall to the mens bathroom, gripping the edge of the sink to keep from falling to his knees.  He takes a look at himself in the mirror, and it’s the first time in his life that he realizes he can’t recognize the person staring back at him.

—

Harry is the one who calls the grief counselor for Liam.  He, along with Zayn and Niall, attend Liam’s first session where he mostly complies with the counselor’s wishes.  It ends with Liam in tears, angrily shouting that he just wants to be able to function again; to live his life the way it was before Louis.

“Why do you feel the way you do, Liam?” the counselor asks in a soothing tone.  “The people in this room love you and they want to do everything they can to help you get better.”

Breathing heavily, Liam looks at his friends, noticing how frightened Niall looks just sitting near him.  Zayn holds Niall’s hand and Harry is the only one who coaxes Liam to speak.

“I feel this way–” Liam takes a deep breath, quickly rubbing his forehead.  “I feel this way because I want to be able to sleep at night without crying because Louis is gone.  I want to wake up and not drive my fist through the shower door because he isn’t there to kiss me good morning.  He left six weeks ago and it feels more like six years have gone by.  I don’t know what else to do.”

“And what will happen if you decide to take action?”

Liam picks at the arm of the leather chair in which he sits, bunching his lips to keep them from trembling.  Of course the only thing he wants is for Louis to come back and never let him go, but he doesn’t say it—he doesn’t want anyone to know how desperate he is just to hold Louis’s hand one more time.

“I don’t know, I just don’t,” he pauses, pressing his fingers into his eyes.  “All I can do is wait for him.”

Liam attends a few more counseling sessions, and it ultimately ends when he can no longer pay for them.  He leaves with a sense that he’s getting better, although the thought of Louis is still as painful as ever.

—

The day before his twenty-fourth birthday, Liam is overjoyed when his father tells him he’s received a hefty work bonus.  What’s surprising to Liam is the check he finds in the mail, written in his name for an astonishing $20,000.  He doesn’t recognize the recipient’s name or the address printed on it, and he takes it to the bank that same day to make sure of its legitimacy.  The bank tellers confirm the check is real, and to play it safe, Liam opens a savings account to store the money instead of spending it.  It baffles Liam for the rest of the day that anyone would send him so much money in the first place, let alone without a letter telling him what he can and can’t do with it.

Later that night, Liam receives a call just after his father leaves for work.  He hesitates to pick up, but some strange force inside of him compels him answer the phone.

“Hello!  I’m so sorry to disturb you so late in the evening, but may I please speak to Liam Payne?”  The baritone voice on the other end sounds nice enough for Liam to not slam the receiver down.

“This is Liam.”

“Oh, fantastic!  My name is Kelland Oberlin, vice president and CEO of Brahmst-Oberlin Industries.  I just need to ask a few questions regarding my late partner’s nephew, Louis Tomlinson, whom I believe stayed with you during his time in Matteo County.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Liam says with a quiet yawn.  “Fire away, Mr. Oberlin.”

“Thank you, Liam.  Now, when you first met Louis, what was his demeanor like?  Was he happy, sad, worried, that sort of thing.”

“A bit scared.  And I didn’t know he refused to speak because of a throat problem.”

“I see.  And how long did it take before his throat healed?”

“Um, a month maybe?  I gave him a journal so he could communicate with me.  I didn’t want to force him to physically speak, it seemed wrong to do that.”

“What did you do when Louis finally spoke to you?”

“Everything.”

“Define ‘everything’ for me.”

“Whatever Louis wanted.  All he had to do was ask.”

“You said you bought him a journal, what else did he write in it?  Anything personal about family or work?”

“Just what he wanted to eat and random questions.”

It doesn’t matter who this person is or what they have, Liam would never reveal the contents of Louis’s entries to anyone.  There were too many intimate details that he and Louis shared that only they could read for themselves.

“Do you still have that journal now?  With the drawing of a lobster on the cover?”  Liam pulls the phone away from his ear, surprised at Mr. Oberlin’s comment.  Only Louis would have known that.

“I don’t know where it is,” Liam replies suspiciously, “I’m not sure if Louis took it with him when he left.”

“One last question and I’ll let you go.”  His brief silence makes Liam uncomfortable.  “Did you love Louis?”

The question hits Liam like a freight train and he can feel his heart explode the tighter he holds onto the receiver.  He rubs his eyes with the knuckles of his free hand, holding back from yelling how much he really did love the only person who couldn’t come back to him.

It wasn’t fair to Liam that Louis refused to let him say it.  And it wasn’t fair that Louis said it just as they were separated from each other.

“Liam?”

“This conversation is over.”

Liam hangs up and stares at his bedside table for a moment.  He doesn’t need to open its drawer to know there are five paper journals placed inside, wrapped with a black elastic band holding them together.  And he doesn’t need to take them apart to know Louis’s crudely drawn lobster is etched on the top left corner of the third cover.

Throwing on his knit sweater, Liam grabs his keys and walks out of his house towards the beach.  A flashlight is unnecessary since he knows exactly where he’s going, even in the dark of night.  A pair of bright lights distract Liam, briefly looking up at the edge of the cliff where it appeared.  He continues his trek until he reaches the large beach rock at the halfway point and sits down with a knee to his chest.

Liam writes Louis’s name into the sand and looks to the darkened sea, hoping it would bring Louis back to him.

—

Harry’s text to Liam one weekend is vague ( _Something strange is happening?  Can’t tell at the moment.  Meet at Zayn’s house in an hour._ ), but he follows through once he finishes eating lunch.  Zayn’s house isn’t too far off from where Liam lives, although it’s a little bigger, considering Zayn’s three sisters.  Liam parks in the empty slot across from Zayn’s two story cottage-like house, then quickly runs up the walkway towards the front door, ringing the doorbell when he gets there.

“Liam!  Darling, it’s so nice to see you,” Zayn’s mom exclaims when she opens the door, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  Liam hasn’t seen her a while, and she’s always been so welcoming of him.  “Come inside, the boys are waiting for you upstairs.”

Upstairs meant Zayn’s bedroom on the second floor at the end of the hall, the one whose door is plastered with stickers of his favorite bands.  Liam knocks on the door and Niall opens it, looking out into the hallway before he lets Liam inside.  Harry’s watching television and Zayn sits beside him, furiously writing a mess of numbers on a thick notepad.

Zayn’s room has always been a clean one, even with a pair of Nikes were strewn about here and there.  The walls of his room are covered with posters of his favorite movies and the desk by his bed is littered with photos of Niall and, obviously, his best friends.  It hadn’t occurred to Liam to take any pictures with Louis the entire time they were together, and all he has is the video Niall had sent him before his orientation.  He wouldn’t dare delete it.

“Guys, what’s this about?  Why am I here?”

“You’re here because something weird is going on,” Harry replies as he turns off the tv.  They gather in the middle of Zayn’s room, sitting cross-legged from each other in a circle.  “We all received something in the mail that freaked us out and we want to know if you got the same thing too.”

Niall untangles his legs and reaches over the top of Zayn’s desk, handing Liam three open envelopes.  Liam takes them and carefully looks inside, realizing exactly what Harry meant.

“It’s real, the money is definitely real,” Liam nods, and his friends give him a collective wide-eyed stare.  “I got one the day before my birthday; I took it to the bank and they confirmed all the routing numbers and the money in the account is legit.”

“This is crazy!  This has to be some sort of prank, no one just hands out $20,000 checks to four random people on their own free will!” Zayn says in shock.

“Liam, why didn’t you tell us about your check?” Harry asks surprised, and Liam gives him a nonchalant shrug.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“You’re going to sit there and tell us $20,000 isn’t a big fucking deal?  What the hell kind of world are you living in right now?” Niall blankly asks and Liam shoots him a glare.

“That’s enough, Niall!” Zayn raises his voice, turning his attention back to Liam.  “Do you recognize the name that sent it?” he asks as he pulls out one of the checks, pointing at the initials of ‘SBKOIND-LWT’ on the top left corner.  “Niall and I tried looking it up using the database at the station, but we came up empty.  Someone _has_ to be behind all of this.  Or at least there should be a reason why the four of us were chosen to have it.”

Zayn is right, but Liam can’t come up with a plausible reason other than someone with a lot of money had a good laugh at their bank accounts and decided to make them slightly richer.  Liam suggests they put the money in a savings account like he did, only to be met with protests and a pillow thrown at his head.

“You can’t tell me to just keep this money locked up, I could be using it to pay for a new car and take Eleanor to a fancy restaurant!” Harry throws his hands up, trying to knock some sense into Liam with another pillow.

“Zayn and I are looking at a few places right now, we could definitely use the extra money to put in a deposit when we find something,” Niall adds.

“Guys, seriously!  We don’t even know who the money is from!” Liam nearly shouts, then quiets down when Zayn holds his hand out to lower his voice.  “What if someone’s tracking it?  How do we know that as soon as we spend even _a single penny_ , that person comes here and demands we pay it all back?  We don’t have those kinds of resources!”

“Let’s say you’re right, Liam,” Zayn says calmly, tapping the envelope against his hand.  “I know you want to play it safe, but what if we _do_ spend it and no one says anything?  We can’t be sure unless we try.”

Liam thinks about it as he looks at the worried expressions from his friends.  They’re all equally clueless about how they should handle such a large pool of money and well, indulging in their expenses won’t hurt anyone except their secret benefactor.

“ _Fine_ , let’s use the money.”  Harry and Niall immediately light up, and Liam puts up a hand to finish.  “But whatever we decide to do, nobody outside of this family can know about it.”

Zayn sticks his hand out in the middle of their circle, followed by Niall’s on top, then Harry, and ultimately Liam as a sign of their bond.  Liam always wondered what it would be like to never worry about money, and for now, he and his friends won’t have to.

—

Over the next two months, Liam slowly rebuilds his beach combing collection.  He’s been buying apothecary jars with his own money, replacing the ones he destroyed.  The jars obviously won’t be as well organized as Louis made them, but Liam’s got to start somewhere.

Sometimes, while he separates the seashells from the sea glass, Liam watches the news in hopes of any mention of Louis.  His friends made the effort not to speak about Louis, but he can tell they struggle with it, especially when Liam himself remembers far too many things about him.  Louis’s presence could never really be forgotten between the four of them.

Of course that doesn’t mean Liam hasn’t saved every picture of Louis from various news sites that mention his company, where he’s often seen leaving large buildings or getting into the backseat of a BMW in a fancy suit.  And it’s not like Liam thinks about how handsome Louis looks in his updated photo on the Brahmst-Oberlin website every night before he goes to bed.

No, Liam doesn’t think about that kind of stuff so he can pretend it doesn’t hurt.  Except it cuts deep into his heart every time he imagines meeting Louis again.

“Louis and his stupid suits,” Liam mumbles, throwing his sea glass into a jar.

—

A few days before Thanksgiving, Zayn and Niall finally move into their new apartment.  Liam wondered why they waited so long, and laughs when he realizes the place had just been refurbished with new hardwood floors, light fixtures, and kitchen cabinets.  Their new home sits by the highway next to the beach, complete with an amazing view of the sea and the houses that line the sandy shores of Matteo County.  Liam can even see his little blue stone house in the distance.

Liam and Harry help the happy couple with the moving process, packing and unpacking endless stacks of boxes full of Zayn’s clothes, toys, and comic books.  Niall’s load isn’t as plentiful, but Liam is careful with Niall’s collection of vinyl records, knowing how precious they are to him.  Thankfully the couple don’t have much furniture just yet, and Niall’s father gifts the couple with a brand new couch that Harry nearly breaks in half when he helps Liam get it through the front door.

“Do you think two weeks is too soon to have a housewarming party?” Niall tentatively asks Liam.

“I’m not sure, to be honest?” Liam scratches his head.  “I think you have it once you’re settled in and you know where everything is, that sort of stuff.”

“I was thinking about having a Christmas dinner here with our families, but Zayn thinks it’s a bad idea ‘cause they’ll mess up the new floors.”  Liam lets out a chuckle, then yawns rather loudly in front of Niall.  “Jeez, I didn’t realize I was boring you with all this domestic stuff,” he says jokingly.

“I’m just a little sore from lifting a million of Zayn’s boxes, that’s all,” Liam stretches his limbs, making whining noises in the process.

“Go on,” Niall smacks Liam’s ass towards the couch, “take a nap if Harry and Zayn aren’t hogging the damn thing to themselves.”

Liam peers over the edge, finding Zayn dead asleep in one corner and Harry curled into him like a kitten with its mother.  Liam mimics Harry’s position on the opposite end with the rest of the cushions, and knocks out as soon as his head hits the pillows.

Some time later, Liam’s eyes flutter open and he’s unable to move with Harry’s gangly legs tangled with his own.  Zayn is no longer on the couch, but sitting on the window seat not too far away with Niall, snuggling together in front of the open window.  They whisper quietly and Liam does his best to remain silent to catch what they might be talking about.

“I can’t believe we finally have a place of our own,” Zayn says, holding Niall tight.

“We made the right decision, didn’t we?  Living together and all that?”

“Of course we did!  I mean, how bad can it be if we spent nearly six months planning this and it only took Liam a week to get Louis to live with him?”

Niall snorts, then covers his mouth to keep from laughing.  “That’s ‘cause he had nowhere to go, you ass!”  Zayn laughs but immediately goes quiet when Niall rests his head on Zayn’s shoulder.  “I miss Louis.  He made us a lot happier when he was around.  I nearly lost you, but I can’t imagine what it was like for Liam, seeing Louis screaming for him and he couldn’t do anything.”

“Louis won’t be lost to him forever.  I personally think fate will bring them back together.”

“Oh my god,” Niall groans, “I wish you wouldn’t use the ‘F’ word, it’s so corny.”

“So maybe it is, but I know they’ll meet again somehow.  Maybe Louis is thinking of a plan to come back and all Liam has to do is wait for him.”

“Yeah, but for how much longer?  It’s been nearly six months now, tell me that isn’t a lifetime in his mind.”

Zayn chuckles, then rubs Niall’s waist.  “He _is_ waiting, though.  Dad and his crew have been keeping an eye on him ever since Louis left,” he pauses for a moment, making a quiet whine.  “And unless he’s going beach combing, there is absolutely no reason for Liam to sit in the same spot on the beach _night after night_ just for the hell of it.”

Liam feels his heart squeezing itself and he covers his head with a cushion, hiding his pained expression.  He had no idea Zayn’s father had been keeping a close watch on him, but he knew someone was always nearby when he’d sit on the rocks where he first found Louis.  It hurts Liam to think about Louis again, and he falls right back asleep, letting his friends continue their late afternoon musings about buying new kitchenware for their future housewarming party.

—

Liam marks down the important days on his calendar for the month of December: gift shopping for his friends, Niall and Zayn’s housewarming party, the three week break he has from work, and of course, Louis’s birthday on Christmas Eve.

With some help from his father, Liam sets up a small Christmas tree in the living room, and arranges the ornaments when he thinks about what he would have bought for Louis on his special day.  He comes up with the wild idea that he’d fly to New York, present himself at Louis’s front door, and whisk him back to Matteo County where they can live a simple life again.  It’s an impossible feat, but the thought makes him smile despite the twinge in his chest.

After a hearty lunch on Christmas Eve, courtesy of Miss Schreyer, Liam comes home early from work to find a small package waiting for him on the dining room table.  There isn’t a return address on the printed label and the package itself is incredibly light for something that needs bubble wrapped protection.

Liam carefully opens the adhesive flap on the package and finds an even smaller white envelope inside.  A card falls out and slides under the table when he removes the envelope, setting it aside to pick it up.  The front of the card is devoid of any decorative designs, minus his name written in what seems to be calligraphy.  The moment he opens the card is what makes his heart practically burst out of his chest, recognizing the handwriting he hasn’t seen in months.

_Dearest Liam,_

_It’s going to take time and I’m putting all the pieces together to find my way back to you._  
 _I know I’ve been away for so long, but please don’t forget about what we’ve shared._  
 _I’m still yours, Liam.  And I hope, in your heart, you’re still mine too._

_All my love,_  
 _Louis_

Liam chokes out a sob, his heart beating triple time when he reads and re-reads Louis’s note.  It almost seems unreal to see those words written on paper, short and sweet, and it’s doing nothing but making Liam cry from joy that Louis was still thinking of him after so long.

The envelope he removed earlier is still on the table and he quickly pours out its contents into his hand, finding a glass float hanging from a black cord—an exact replica of Louis’s necklace that he made the first time they went beach combing.  Liam can remember every moment of that day, teaching Louis the history of glass floats, the touch of Louis’s hand, the look on Louis’s face when he nearly kissed him.  Everything comes rushing back and Liam acknowledges it with happiness, rather than anger.

Liam sniffles when he looks at it, untying the necklace to wear around his neck.  The green glass ball hangs just over the dip of his collarbones and he touches it with the pad of his finger.  He wonders if Louis was still wearing his own float, all roughed up over his delicate skin.

The news hardly mentioned Louis’s company merger these days, and Liam gives a big Fuck You to Ben Winston as a Christmas gift to himself.  Winston might have been a threat before, but after six and a half months, his threats seemed futile, and Liam was going to do whatever he damn well pleases for Louis.

On a whim, he pulls out his phone and searches for the Brahmst-Oberlin Industries website.  Instead of tapping the company’s history page where he’ll find a picture of Louis, he goes to their contact section and taps the number to call their New York headquarters.  It was barely four o’clock on that side of the country, it couldn’t hurt to give this a try.

An automated message greets him after the first ring, and he goes through one too many menu options before he finally gets a hold of a representative.

“Thank you for calling Brahmst-Oberlin Industries, how may I direct your call this afternoon?”

“Hi, could I possibly speak to Louis Tomlinson?” Liam grimaces at his question, but he doesn’t know the protocol to these things; he’s a boatbuilder, not a businessman.

“Any press or media inquiries will be directed to the company publicist where you can leave a request for Mr. Tomlinson.  Shall I connect you?”

“No, I’m not from the media, I’m–” Liam pauses, trying to come up with something quick to stay on the line, “I’m a deputy with the Sheriff’s Department in Matteo County, California.”  Liam covers his face with his hand, embarrassed that this will probably get him nowhere.

“Just a moment, sir.”

He’s surprised when the call is transferred, his heart racing so fast he’ll pass out if no one answers.  Then, finally, he hears the phone pick up on the other end.

“Executive offices, this is Tomlinson.”

Liam covers his mouth and his stomach caves in at the sound of Louis’s voice.  His voice was but a ghost when Liam went to sleep at night.

“Uh, hello?  Anyone there?”

“ _Louis_ ,” Liam shakily breathes out.

There’s a pause.  A long pause.

“Liam?” Louis replies nervously.

He quietly takes a deep breath, giving himself a silent countdown before he finally speaks.  “I got your gift and I want you to know that I haven’t forgotten about us.  I couldn’t if I tried.”  His lip trembles, biting it when his eyes well up.  “I miss you so much.  I miss having you here with me.”

“ _Liam_ ,” Louis whispers, both sad and gentle.  Liam shuts his eyes and tightly grips the hem of his jacket, knowing he has to end the call when he hears Louis softly crying.

“Happy birthday, Louis.  Make a wish.”

—

The scent of freshly baked sugar cookies warms Liam’s stomach as soon as Niall opens the oven door in his kitchen.  Liam hasn’t seen the place since Zayn and Niall moved in, and he’s impressed with all the Christmas decorations in the living room.  There’s even a real pine tree sitting in the corner, terribly decorated with Zayn’s action figure ornaments, strings of popcorn garlands, and Captain America’s shield as the tree topper.

Niall puts on his oversized oven mitts, taking out the baking sheet of hot cookies and replacing it with another batch of cookie dough.  Harry happily twirls around Liam in his gaudy red and white snowflake Christmas sweater, handing him a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.

“A bit of liquid courage before our families arrive,” Harry says jokingly.

“No spiked egg nog this year, huh?” Liam giggles, taking a sip.

“Absolutely not, Liam!” Niall yells when he slams the oven door shut.  “No egg nog _ever_.  I hate all of you for making me drink that disgusting concotion last year.”

“Egg nog is so good, though!  Just give it another chance,” Zayn whines.

“You made me drink liquid plaster, Zayn, there’s no way I’m forgiving you for that,” Niall retorts, placing his hot cookies on a cooling rack.  “There was a reason I never drank it before and I don’t need a reason to drink it again.”

Liam shakes his head and makes his way the window seat, smiling to himself while he plays with the paper snowflakes hanging from the curtain rod above him.

“Why the long face, Liam?  Tonight’s supposed to be a happy one,” Harry asks from across the room.

“I got a present in the mail today,” Liam hangs his head, sheepishly looking at his friends.

“Was it something bad?  You’re normally excited about presents,” Niall remarks, sitting next to his friend.

“It was a gift from Louis.”

Liam shows his stunned friends the green glass ball from under his sweater, letting it hang from his thumb.  The three friends look at each other and Liam takes out Louis’s card from his jacket, holding it out for Niall to read aloud.  He’d tell them about the phone call he made to Louis, but he doesn’t want to.  That call is the one thing he wants to keep for himself.

“I told you Louis would come back, didn’t I!” Zayn exclaims.  “This is all the proof we need that he still wants to be with Liam.”

“You’ll be okay,” Niall adds, placing his hand over Liam’s, “we’ll always be here for you.”

They don’t discuss Louis or his gift after that, exchanging their somber mood for a happier one as soon as their families arrive with food and presents.  Harry is overjoyed when Eleanor shows up, whom he invited at the last minute with Zayn and Niall’s approval.

“I just didn’t want another blood bath like with the last girl you went out with,” Harry explains to Liam, who rolls his eyes at the ordeal.

Towards the end of the night, Liam finds Harry and Eleanor kneeling by the Christmas tree, holding hands while they whispered to each other.  Liam’s heart sinks and his face shows every hint of sadness, wishing he could be with Louis on his birthday.

—

The first week of work at the boatyard after the company’s holiday break is slow, mostly due to new clients and meetings with supervisors regarding boat designs.  With no actual building to do, Miss Schreyer cuts the work hours short out of necessity, not wanting to waste her employees’ time or the company payroll.  Liam finds himself at home just after lunch most of the time, either napping on the couch or cooking up a new dish he looked up online.

Lounging in the living room one afternoon, Liam receives a text from Niall, urging him to come to the station as soon as he can.

**From: Liam**  
 _something bad happen?_

**From: Niall**  
 _don’t know but Zayn’s dad said he will explain when u get here_

Liam jets off in his truck to the station, arriving in five minutes and rushing towards reception where Sheriff Malik is already waiting for him.  They walk to a small room with a coffee table, a couch, two leather chairs, and two large windows with open blinds.  This is normally where the deputies bring in people for questioning and take down their statements, as opposed to the dreaded interrogation room where Liam could be pinned as a potential suspect for a crime he hasn’t committed.

Sheriff shuts the door behind him and quickly closes one of the blinds, asking Liam to take a seat once the room is shielded from the rest of the station.

“Are we on lockdown?” Liam asks, and Sheriff shakes his head.

“A package arrived containing sensitive documents not too long ago.  It was addressed to me, but it involves you.”  He takes the leather seat next to Liam and a concerned look is written all over his face.

Liam’s ears prick up and Sheriff holds up a thick envelope.  “Per the request of the sender,” he says, taking out a small stack of papers inside, “I was instructed to read these first before I showed them to you.  It’s a lot of legal stuff to understand, but I’m pretty sure you’ll get the gist of it.”

“Oh god,” Liam covers his faces in embarrassment, thinking this might be about the money from their secret benefactor.  Too many scenarios run in his mind of his friends carelessly spending their money when they should have been discreet about it.

Sheriff lays most of the documents on the table in front of Liam, explaining what each of them meant, and none of them make sense to the reason why Liam needs to be there.

“I just don’t understand what any of this has to do with me,” Liam sighs while he flips through pages and pages of legal jargon.

“If you were actually _reading_ ,” Sheriff smacks Liam over the head with one of the papers, “you’d notice Louis’s name is on the front page on most of them!”

Liam’s eyes widen and he looks through them again, finally noticing Louis’s name printed in the smallest of letters.  “Are these all of Louis’s legal documents?  What are all these pictures of weapons with it?”

“From what I’ve gathered, these are the case files against Ben Winston and his company.  Louis has been digging up dirt on him for the last seven months, Liam.  He’s about to ruin Winston.”

A lightbulb in Liam’s head goes off, finally understanding what Louis meant when he said he’d fix everything.  Was seven months really enough time to bring down an entire company?  Liam didn’t even know he could still be in love with someone after so long, and yet, still be without Louis.  And if Louis just forced a company to go under, he wants to make damn sure he understands every part of it.

“Can I take this home and show it to the guys?” Liam asks, organizing the papers on the table.

“It’s not classified, so it’s all yours,” Sheriff nods.  “Plus, the Terrible Two have been spying on us the entire time.  There’s no doubt they’ll want in on the action.”

Liam slowly turns his head when Sheriff shifts his eyes towards the window nearby, catching Niall and Zayn peering through the blinds.  Their eyes widen and they both turn away, looking around and pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

“This is good news,” Sheriff says with a grin.  “Louis’s uncle would be proud of him for honoring his company’s good name after a mess like that.”

“Louis has always been good at keeping his word,” Liam smiles softly.

“Then you already know he’ll come back to you.”

Sheriff Malik gives Liam a pat on the shoulder and excuses himself, leaving Liam alone in the room until Zayn and Niall run inside.  “So, you gonna tell us what that was all about?” Zayn asks excitedly.  Liam laughs and shakes his head, telling them, “Don’t know how to explain it.”

“It had something to do with Louis, didn’t it,” Niall says quietly.

Liam nods with a smile.  It’s a proud one.

“Before I blacked out, I told Winston I hoped Louis ruined him for everything he’s got.  And I guess maybe, _somehow_ , Louis did it for me.”

Upon saying those words, Liam can feel his heart beginning to heal after the damage he’d inflicted for so long.

—

The next few days after the visit to the station are a strange one to Liam, noticing a black BMW with tinted windows following him wherever he went.  It starts at the boatyard, continues when he goes out for lunch, and even when he goes home.  But it stops on the morning of Zayn’s birthday, when Liam goes to the cemetery to visit his mother.  At least his paranoia would give him some privacy there.

Liam brings along a small bouquet of orchids and lilies, carefully setting them down on his mother’s marble gravestone before he takes a few steps back and kneels down in the middle of the plot.  The cemetery is quiet and lush with green grass, and a light winter breeze passes in the air, mixed with a perfume trail of citrus and violet.  Liam inhales the intoxicating scent, closing his eyes and savoring it before he looks back at his mother.  He’s not going to stay long, but he needs to let her know what’s on his mind.

“I know it’s not a special occasion or anything, but I wanted to see you,” Liam looks down, picking at the grass.  “I met someone a while ago and he made me so happy.  Probably the happiest I’ve ever been, and you would have loved him, Mom.  But I know you’re probably going, ‘ _Then why do you look so sad, silly?_ ’ like you always did when I was being ridiculous. Truth is, he had to go away and I haven’t seen him in a while,” Liam sniffles a little, quickly wiping his nose.  “I miss him, almost as much as I miss you.  It’s been so hard trying to remember what it was like before him.  I’ve been alone for some time, but I never thought I could feel this lonely since he’s been gone.”

He stays quiet for a few more minutes, simply thinking to himself until he stands up, and kisses the top of his mom’s gravestone.  “I’m never too far away.”

As he’s walking down the pathway back to the parking lot, a grey statue of a cloaked angel catches Liam’s eye.  The hood of its cloak covers most of the angel’s face looking towards the sky, its hands crossed over its chest, reborn by the light of the winter sun.

The scent of citrus and violet fills the air again and Liam turns around, wondering where it could be coming from.  The only person around is man wearing a navy blue suit, facing a statue several feet away with his head down.  The man looks over his shoulder and Liam walks away in a hurry, hoping it wasn’t the person he thinks it could be.

—

An hour after he comes home, Liam stands in front of his bathroom mirror, attempting to fix his hair for Zayn’s birthday dinner later in the evening.  He’d normally style it off to the side with a bit of hairspray, but now it’s doing absolutely nothing for him.  Searching through the drawers under the sink, he ends up finding his hair clippers that he hasn’t used in a while.  An idea pops into his head when he looks at them, hoping he isn’t making a mistake by doing this.

“It _is_ the new year, after all,” Liam worriedly says to himself.  “Lord help me if I do this wrong.”

He takes a good look at the sides of his head and holds up the clippers, taking a deep breath before he switches it on and dramatically changes his appearance.

—

The birthday dinner goes off without a hitch between the four friends; they eat at a Jamaican restaurant outside of town, joke around with the other patrons (much to their annoyance), and present Zayn with his birthday gifts that leave him bouncing off the walls.  Harry and Niall can’t stop questioning Liam about his new hair, a combination of both a quiff and a subtle mohawk in one.

“And what was the reason for this new ‘do?” Harry asks, running his hand through Liam’s soft hair and making him laugh.

“I wanted something different!  In fairness, I couldn’t really see the back of my head, so that’s why it looks the way it does.”

“It looks good, man!” Niall exclaims, “Way to bring in the new year and all!”

“Hey, you guys up for a drink at our place after this?” Zayn asks, “We just started up our liquor cabinet!  One bottle of Jack Daniels!”

Before Liam can answer, he notices someone in a navy blue suit walk inside and speak with their waitress.  His heart races, wondering if it was the same person he’d seen at the cemetery, but comes up empty when the person ducks his head and leaves.

“Liam, look!” Niall tugs on his jacket, “It’s Louis, he’s on tv!”

He turns to face the two television screens mounted on the wall in front of them, and Niall rushes to the hostess, asking her to turn up the volume for all of them to hear the newscast.

_Tonight’s breaking news: Ben Winston, chief financial officer of Winston Enterprises, has been indicted on multiple allegations of extortion and fraud.  Several grand injunctions against Winston have been filed by three defense technology companies, citing harassment, trade secrets, and patent infringement among other suits.  Winston Enterprises has temporarily shut down all operations, both domestic and internationally._

Taped footage of Ben Winston is played, showing him leaving a courthouse in handcuffs with a mob of journalists trying to get his attention.  Liam laughs as Winston is nearly torn apart with questions, noting the look of fear on his face as he’s being escorted into an armored vehicle.

_Leading the charge against the enterprise are Louis Tomlinson and Kelland Oberlin, the acting CEO and vice president of Brahmst-Oberlin Industries.  Here is Tomlinson’s statement._

The tape cuts to Louis standing outside of the very same courthouse, and Liam’s heart thumps at the sight of him in his tailored black suit and black leather gloves.  Louis looks content and it shows all over his face.  He begins to speak, but the footage is silent until his voice booms through the speakers of the televisions.

_“Mr. Oberlin could not be here with us today, but on his behalf, we would like to thank Brunier Defense International, Burgess-Villard Engineering, and Janis Aerospace Corporation for their cooperation in this investigation.  It has been a difficult seven months, but we pulled through and we’re glad we can put all of this behind us.  No company should ever have to endure what we all went through for the sake of our military.”_

Liam beams with pride and he can’t stop himself from grinning like a Cheshire cat.  From the goodness of his healing heart, Liam calls their waitress over and decides to pay for their dinner, despite the protests of Niall, who insists on splitting the bill.

“Boys, there’s no need for you to fight!” their waitress tells them, “Your check’s already been paid for!”

“What?  By who?” Zayn asks, surprised.  “Did someone accidentally pay for us?”

“A young man in a blue suit came in and asked me to charge everything onto his card,” she explains with a worried expression.  “He told me he’s a friend of yours and that you wouldn’t mind, so I did as he asked.  Surely I haven’t done anything wrong?”

The four friends look at each other in astonishment, wondering who it could have been.  Liam has a slight clue, remembering who he briefly saw before he watched Louis’s newscast, but it must have been a coincidence—lots of people have blue suits.  The boys collectively accept the waitress’s story and give her a generous tip before they leave the restaurant.

“You’re sure you don’t want to come back to our place for a drink?  It’s my birthday!” Zayn whines, poking Liam in the chest and pushing Harry away in jest.

“Zayn, come on,” Niall laughs, pushing him towards the Bronco, “we already forced them to eat dinner with us, let’s just go home now.”

Zayn whines again as they exchange their goodbyes, and Liam is the last to leave once he makes sure all of his friends safely make it out of the parking lot.  Liam leans against the bed of his truck and rests his elbows on the lip, rubbing his face in his hands.

The sound of a car’s ignition frightens him and he turns around, finding the black BMW idling several rows away.  It had been a good several hours since the car stopped following him, and now it’s back, frustrating him more than anything.

“What do you want!” Liam shouts, clenching his fists.  “Why do you keep following me!”

The BMW loudly revs its engine and zooms out of its parking spot, driving directly into the dark and empty road.  Liam lets his guard down and climbs into his truck, letting out a loud sigh before he starts the car.  He doesn’t want to go home just yet and decides, for the hell of it, to go to the one place he truly felt safe.

—

The grotto isn’t too far from the restaurant and Liam takes a shortcut to get there as quickly as possible.  He stops his truck on the side of the road when he gets there, searching his glove compartment for a flashlight.  Liam walks down the tunnel-like pathways towards the edge of the cliff, and down the rocky stairway into the grotto.

Pitch black hovers in the air and Liam points his flashlight towards the base of the marble statue in the hollow shell.  A splash of sea water enters the window of the grotto, sprinkling Liam with its salty mist when he walks closer to it.  He runs his fingers over the palm of the statue’s hand, outstretched and holding the weight of the sea in her arms.

A loud snap, crackle, and pop! echoes through the grotto, followed by the cool ocean breeze.  The salty air is mixed with the scent that intoxicated Liam earlier in the day, making his head dizzy with memories of Louis when he closes his eyes.

Liam doesn’t hear the shuffling nearby and he doesn’t notice the sound of plastic whizzing past his head until beams of green and blue light up under his eyes.  The pool in front of him glows brighter than his own flashlight and his heart pounds one beat too quickly at the sound of a familiar voice.

“ _Hello, Liam._ ”

The person standing before Liam must be a figment of his imagination.  He has Louis’s voice.  His hair.  His body.  It can’t be Louis, and yet, it _is_ him.

Louis slowly makes his way towards Liam, taking careful steps with his bare feet in his tailored blue suit.  The blue-green glow of the pool illuminates all of his sharp features, the ones Liam saw every night before he went to bed and the first thing in the morning.

Liam is too stunned to move when Louis stands just inches away from him, and he can feel a tingle down his spine when Louis smiles sweetly at him.

“You look different,” Liam manages to blurt out after a minute of silence.

“You’re a bit different yourself,” Louis softly laughs.  “The mohawk is a good look on you.”

They stay silent again and Liam can’t tell if he wants to kiss Louis or sob hysterically.  He didn’t think this day would ever come and now that it has, he feels like an absolute fool in front of the person he’s still in love with.  But Liam supposes that’s how love might be; as foolish as the sea bringing two boys together from two worlds away.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Liam says in awe, lightly touching Louis’s jaw with his finger.  “I spent all these months learning to accept that you were gone, and now that you’re back, I don’t know what to do.  I want you to stay, but if you’re not here for any other reason than to tell me goodbye then say it now.  Say it so I don’t have to spend the rest of my life wondering if you ever thought of me after all this time.”

“But I did think about you, Liam,” Louis says softly, “every single day, you were always on my mind.  I’d get up in the morning to watch the sunrise, and I’d run away to the roof of wherever I was to watch the sunset.  Doing that was the only way I could feel like you were there with me.”

“Don’t do this, Louis, just don’t,” Liam whispers, biting his lips together.  “You came back here to say goodbye.”

“The only thing I’m saying goodbye to is my life with Brahmst-Oberlin Industries.  I came back here for _you_.”  Louis places his hand over Liam’s heart, its warmth resonating over his neck and all over his body.  “I told you it was going to take time before I came back to you, didn’t I?  I had to fix everything, Liam.  I had to get Winston out of the picture and so he wouldn’t hurt you.”

“I tried reading your case file against Winston, but all I could think about was that you’d bring down his company and never come back here.  You’d forget all about me and Dad, even our friends.”

Louis shakes his head, taking a step closer to Liam.  “You can’t forget something meaningful, Liam.  You told me yourself you couldn’t forget about us.”

“Then tell me what happened.  Tell me why you came back.”

“Winston mocked you to silence me into submission, saying you hoped I ruined him for everything he had.  As soon as I heard that I _knew_ I had to keep that promise for you,” Louis gives him a weak smile, and continues his story.  “My aunt told my uncle’s business partner what happened, and he sent his security and legal teams to keep Winston away from me as soon as we landed in New York.  It was her way of apologizing.”

“Your aunt meant you no harm, Louis, even after all of this.”  Liam stays quiet when he notices Louis looking at the ground.  “Is she all right?”

“She died a few days after I came home.  She really wanted to meet you,” Louis says with sadness, and Liam reaches for Louis’s hand.  “Her death nulled her debts and it was what jumpstarted the investigation I did with Mr. Oberlin to bring down Winston’s company.  Francine gave me valuable information on her cousin, and in exchange, I helped her get out of the country with her fiancee.  Last I heard, they were happily honeymooning off the coast of Lake Como.”

Liam lets out a pleased laugh, relieved that Louis was free of his arranged marriage.  It was the last thing on Liam’s mind, although he is saddened he never got to meet the woman who raised Louis as her own child.

“You know, Mr. Oberlin called me before my birthday,” Liam chuckles softly, “he was asking questions about us and what we did and what you wrote in your journals.”

“Oh?” Louis looks around suspiciously, “A-And what else did he say?”

“I thought it was so strange when he mentioned the lobster you drew on one of the covers, and I realized–” Liam pauses, looking straight into Louis’s eyes, “only _you_ would have known that.”  Louis shifts his weight and nervously rubs the back of his neck.  “You were the one that called, didn’t you?  You were the one who asked if I loved you.”

Louis bites his lip and looks away, embarrassed he’d been found out.  “How did you do it?” Liam asks, “The voice I heard sounded nothing like you.”

“I wore a voice changer.  I was so desperate to hear you, it was the only way I could do it without giving myself away,” Louis says a little pathetically.  “But you’re clever, Liam, and I knew you would figure it out.  You were even clever enough to put the money I sent to you in a savings account.”

The hairs on Liam’s arms begin to feel like pinpricks against his skin, his eyes widening when he asks, “ _What money?_ ”

“The money I sent to you for your birthday!  Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

“That was— _that was you!?_ ” Liam nearly squeaks in a high pitched tone.

“Of course it was from me, did you not recognize the name on the check?  It was the company name with my initials attached at the end!”

"My dad's work bonus, was that from you, too?"

"Oh, Liam, that's great!" Louis exclaims, "But no, that was not from me. Your father works so hard, he really does deserve it."

“You know, Zayn and Niall ran their checks through a database to figure out the name and _it was you_ this whole time?”  Louis nods with a grin.  “I just–this is–that was $80,000 and you just handed it out like candy!”

“I just wanted to help after all you’ve done for me,” Louis says pointedly.  “I figured there was nothing wrong with sending money to my friends, and I dare say only Zayn and Niall took advantage of it for their new home.  Harry’s only spent a few hundred dollars last I checked, but _you_ ,” Louis rolls his eyes, “you didn’t spend a single dime.  If I’d known you were an absolute cheapskate, I swear…”

“Holy shit, this is way too much to think about,” Liam holds a hand to his forehead, taking a deep breath.  Louis softly rubs his back to calm him down, their faces just inches away from each other when Liam looks up.  “So what happens to your uncle’s company now?”

“Left it to the professionals,” Louis says with a shrug.  “I was the acting CEO, just a temporary gig once Winston was indicted.  I think it would have pleased my uncle to see the company in my hands, but it's better if I stayed out of it. I passed my title to Mr. Oberlin’s eldest son, he's been there forever and he knows everything a lot better than I do, anyway.”

“And now you go back to being a shareholder.”

“Yes, but I never told you I also have a shiny degree in museum studies," Liam smugly grins, making Liam raise his brow in curiosity.  "I admit I didn’t see many masterpieces here, but I have to say your body was pretty damn close when I studied every part of you.”

Liam bites his lip when he laughs, and brushes his thumb along Louis’s jawline.  Louis melts into his touch, putting his hand over Liam’s and softly kissing the inside of his palm.  “Forgive me for following you around the way I did these past few days.  I know I wasn’t exactly discreet, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Liam’s eyes widen and he stands up a little straighter.  “So it _was_ you at the cemetery,” he says in surprise.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you while you were with your mother,” Louis replies quietly, “but I didn’t think you would shout the way you did in the parking lot either.”

“Why didn’t you step out of the car and surprised me then?” Liam says with a hurt expression.  “Why did you wait until I was here?”

“Because this is where you made me feel safe, Liam.  I didn’t think I’d ever feel that way again when we were apart, but standing here in front of you—I’ll always feel it if you stay with me.”

Their lips meet with the crash of the ocean, as Liam finally kisses his beloved Louis for the first time again.  The touch of each other’s lips are as warm as they remember; balmy, sweet, and forgiving.  The kiss felt like it did when they first shared it in the tiny dressing room and it’s a new feeling all over again after imagining it for so long.  They hold each other tight as their kisses escalates to pure lust, continuing until Liam breaks away.

“Let me say it,” Liam whispers, “it’s time you heard it, and you can’t refuse.”  Louis nods his head and Liam prepares himself for his moment, knowing this time, he won’t lose Louis again.

“I love you, Louis.   _I love you so much._  I never stopped when you left and I won’t stop now.”

Louis whispers it back when he kisses Liam, every word echoing throughout their secret hideaway.  “I’ve figured out a way for us to be together," Louis says with confidence, facing Liam.  "I won’t be too far away, not like these past seven months.”

“I don’t care where you are, all I care is that you’ll always be with me.”

“Then run away with me,” Louis whispers with a glint of mischief in his eyes, and Liam foolishly grins with him.  “We’ll live like princes wherever we go.”

Liam kisses Louis over and over again, slowly walking backwards out of the grotto until they miss their step and fall into the illuminated pool.  The couple are briefly separated underwater but easily find each other, linking their hands together as princes and resurface as kings.


End file.
